The Surgeon's Gamble
by Shadow Oblivion
Summary: Law thought that his life had come to an end after his reputation as a surgeon had been completely ruined. At least, that was what Law believed, anyway, until Rocinante turned up a year later during his self-imposed exile. Modern AU. Sequel to The Klutz.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I decided to post at least the first chapter of this. I know for sure that it will not be as rapidly updated as _The Klutz_ was, so expect greater delays (as I juggle multiple stories and update based on motivation and mood).

This is a continuation of _The Klutz_ , so while this fic could potentially be read as a separate story, it would make a whole lot more sense if you read the other fic first. Oh, and as with the other fic, chapters will be revised in the future if need be.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Law didn't know what to do anymore.

He had tried so hard to move on with his life, but his past continued to haunt him. And it had for an entire year. Law felt as if those painful decisions that he had been forced to make over a year ago were never going to leave him in peace.

The dark haired surgeon believed that at some point during the past year he had had an idea of what to do with himself. But now, after getting a taste of harsh reality, his plans for what future he could have potentially have had had long since waned. And no matter how far away he moved and no matter how many times, the rumors still persisted.

Law had all but given up finding somewhere to live his life where he wasn't completely shunned for his actions that he had taken as the Surgeon of Death.

And now, even a year later, the details of what Law had been forced to do while working for Doflamingo had come into the light. And that had made it damn near impossible for Law to even step foot in a hospital or even a small clinic, without being driven off.

Law had recently moved to a rural town in a part of the country that experienced a nearly year round winter. It was also a good two hundred or so miles from the city he'd originally lived and worked in. Law had been in town about a week and had ideas to open a private practice out of the house, which was a ten minute walk from the town. The dark haired man figured it might be better to have patients brought to him and work alone, cutting down on the chances of someone catching wind of who he really was.

Law had tried, in the beginning of moving around the country, to work in some small clinic. But as soon as word of his identity as the Surgeon of Death was brought into the light, he had been met with nothing but hostility. No one ever drove him away; Law left all on his own due to the negative vibes and glares from those around him.

The dark haired man smiled bitterly to himself as he meandered around the rather empty house in the woods he was renting. Law knew that he should have known better than to think it would be easy. He may have given up entirely was it not for the fact that he was trying to make things easier on the people that he still had in his life.

Law was sure to keep in contact with his former roommates Shachi and Penguin. If only to let them know that he was more or less all right. The contact had dwindled to every other week because he'd noticed that his friends stood firm in trying to convince him to come home.

And then there was Rocinante.

Rocinante, who was patient and very sweet when trying to get Law to come home in his own way. And the blond haired officer did this by keeping in daily contact with him and by trying to get to him as the dark haired surgeon moved from place to place. Rocinante hadn't yet succeeded in finding him yet, but Law felt that it was only a matter of time until he did. And when the blond haired officer found him, the surgeon honesty wasn't sure what he would do.

Law pondered, in a manner that conveyed disbelief, that he and Rocinante had technically been dating for four years, even if they had been parted for the last year. But Law felt the distance was necessary, because he was under the impression that the blond haired officer was still being harassed for keeping in contact with him. As Law wanted Rocinante to get back into the good graces of his station again, the dark haired surgeon believed it would be better to keep his distance.

Because the blond haired man had covered for Law for months when the dark haired man had been forced to work for Doflamingo as the Surgeon of Death.

Law wanted so much to argue with the people who shunned and despised him for his actions as the Surgeon of Death. To say that it had gone completely against his ethics. That he had only caved in when his friends and Rocinante were threatened.

But it was no use.

Nothing that Law could say would change the image that he had been painted with.

And despite Rocinante's efforts to keep the dark haired man's face out of the media, they'd found out anyway. It didn't matter that Law had been found not guilty or that he had immunity for providing all the information he could on Doflamingo and his illegal dealings.

It still wasn't enough, and Law felt that there would never be enough reasons to have people forget about what had happened.

Unbeknown to Rocinante, Law had in fact resigned from the hospital instead of leaving and waiting to be fired. Law knew the blond haired officer would have been more upset for him otherwise. But the stares and the whispers and the mistrust in other's eyes had been too much. And then he'd left home without telling Rocinante because Law had known that the blond, sweetheart that he was, would have tried to stop him from leaving. Would have tried to reassure him that everything would be all right.

But it wouldn't be all right, no matter how much both he and Rocinante wanted it to be.

Law had left his house to his roommates because he knew that they would not mind Rocinante staying there with them. Law had almost come home a month into his self-imposed exile because Shachi had mentioned that someone had harassed all three of them for harboring a murderer.

The dark haired surgeon clenched a fist as he stared out a window. He couldn't stand the term, even if it was true that he had killed those people through Doflamingo's blackmail against him. But even so, Law couldn't stop his work as a surgeon. He had to keep doing it. It was what he had worked toward for over half his life. Even in the middle of nowhere as he was Law needed something to keep his mind occupied. Otherwise he would begin to dwell on all that had happened.

And especially dwell on his thoughts about Rocinante and just how much it actually hurt to be parted from the blond haired officer this past year. Law could have never imagined he could miss someone so much. Miss someone so badly that he was tempted, several times, to go back to the city to visit. And Law would have gone had he not switched to texting Rocinante for the past two months. Law had almost gone home after he'd seen that the blond haired officer texted him that he loved him every morning.

But the dark haired surgeon couldn't go back.

He couldn't risk it.

He wanted one of them to have a job. Law knew now, after a year for trying an failing to find a job, that his reputation as a surgeon was already damaged beyond repair. It seemed as if there was nowhere to go that someone hadn't heard of the Surgeon of Death. And Law had found out the hard way earlier on that very day that the rural town he'd just moved to had also heard of his now negative reputation

Law had merely gone into town hours ago to scope things out and had taken it a good thing that no one outwardly reacted to him.

Not until he had gotten too close to the small clinic.

The dark haired man had been immediately hounded by the townspeople, who none too subtly told him to leave. Law had argued back, refusing to be seen as some heartless bastard or murderer or whatever they chose to call him. The argument might have continued had someone not rushed into the group with a panicked expression to inform them all that an officer by the name of Dalton had been injured.

There'd been a hushed and worried discussion over the fact that their resident doctor was off for the day on whose call and that she wouldn't be back until later that night or the next day.

Law had smoothly broken in on the conversation and said that he could help and the surgeon didn't care at that point in time that he was being given mistrustful looks. It didn't matter because his instincts as a surgeon were piqued as the injured officer was brought into view. The dark haired surgeon had honestly been surprised to be ushered into the clinic to treat the wounded man, even if he was being watched very closely. Law, when he was finished, had all but been dragged out if the clinic and told that in no uncertain terms was he to leave until their doctor came back to check his work. The dark haired surgeon had been offended that his expertise was being questioned but knew by now it was useless to argue.

Which brought Law back to bring all alone in that three bedroom house in the woods, that he would likely now have to give up now that the rumors about him would be in full swing by the next day.

Law let out a soft sigh. He knew he ought to sleep but after the stress of that day he doubted he would be able to fall asleep. He could tell he was tired but after being looked at like he was some monster he couldn't stand to think what he might dream of.

Another sleepless night seemed inevitable.

Law had not been getting enough sleep as it was but it couldn't be helped. The surgeon smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed like he couldn't stay in this town either.

A shame.

The cold temperature and the snow didn't bother him at all.

There was a sound from the front of the house but Law was so wrapped up in his general misery that he didn't notice. That is, until there was the sound of a door closing very obviously.

Panic seized Law in that moment. Was someone in the house with him? A person in town, perhaps, that had come to harass him? Or someone with something more sinister in mind? The unfortunate incident in a different wooded area was not lost on Law when he had checked this house out before renting it.

The dark haired man froze in place at the sound of footsteps approaching him at a rapid pace and before Law could think to run he was seized in a crushing hug. Law flailed a moment as those arms all but squeezed the breath from him. He might have gone into a full panic had the dark haired man not registered the faint smell of stale smoke. The panic was gone as quickly as it had come as Law sagged against the person that held him. He knew who it was and Law didn't care in that moment how Rocinante had found him.

All that mattered was that he was there.

Rocinante was really there, in that all but empty house.

Law knew that for certain because he was currently having the life hugged out of him as if Rocinante would never let him go again now that he'd found him. And Law didn't want the other man to let go because the dark haired surgeon hadn't realized just how much he needed that hug. Law's eyes squeezed shut at the sound of Rocinante's soft yet rumbling voice.

"Found you."

Found him indeed.

In that moment, Law felt Rocinante step away from him to look down at him, and the surgeon couldn't help but let out a broken little laugh at the sight of that damn tacky heart shirt the other man was wearing.

And the red hood with the heart tassels that was tugged down over messy blond hair.

Law felt himself tearing up and stubbornly wiped the tears away, even if he couldn't help himself as he realized then and there just how much he loved Rocinante. The dark haired surgeon felt like a complete and utter idiot the longer he stared at the blond. Law felt terrible because he suddenly remembered that he had never once texted back or said to Rocinante that he loved him too.

And still Rocinante had searched him out, and the way the blond was looking at Law made the surgeon feel self-conscious for the first time in a while.

Law found himself suddenly drawn into a kiss as the blond haired officer's large hands slid into his hair. The surgeon leaned up on his toes automatically to get a better angle for the kiss as Rocinante murmured something softly. And as the kiss deepened into something very intimate and very sweet, only one thing went through Law's mind.

He was a fool for staying away from Rocinante for so long. And with the way the other man kept the kiss going as if he couldn't get enough of it and was reluctant to let go of him, Law really didn't believe that he deserved Rocinante in his life.

"I missed you." The blond haired officer murmured against Law's lips before he indulged in another kiss as his hands slid down to Law's shoulders, and then wrapped around his back.

Any further coherent train of thought was banished as Law lost himself in the kiss as he again cursed himself for bring such a fool. And when Rocinante spoke again, the dark haired man was speechless over how selfless and patient the other man was with him.

"I love you."

Law believed Rocinante completely, had no question in his mind that the blond meant it, due to the warmth and clear love in the other man's voice.

What had he been thinking this past year, to keep this man, who very clearly loved him to bits, out of his life as he had? How could Law have thought that he would miss Rocinante so much that he would have craved being touched? To being hugged and even being in a relationship in the first place, when before it would have been an utterly foreign concept.

"Please don't leave me alone like that again. Talking on the phone and texting is not comparable to this at all." Rocinante said as he nuzzled his cheek alongside Law's before he pecked the surgeon on the cheek. Then, with a dazzling smile, Rocinante added a little mischievously. "Not that I'll let you go anywhere without me now that I've found you."

Law felt he wouldn't have been able to leave anyway, especially not when he was being reminded about what he had been missing out on for the past year. And as Rocinante slowly encroached on the surgeon's personal space, Law welcomed the other man's touch, because the dark hared surgeon finally realized that he really was an utter fool for pushing away such a kind person out of his life.

And despite all that, Rocinante loved him anyway.

Law really didn't know what to do now, especially regarding his work situation, but at the very least, Rocinante was there with him now.

And the blond haired officer seemed intent in that moment to cheer him up as much as was possible, as he'd begun laying little kisses here and there on his neck and cheek and lips.

Law let Rocinante do as he would, because this was exactly what he needed right now, even if the surgeon could not specifically state it aloud. To be treated like a person and looked at with respect and love and not hate and mistrust was something that Law hadn't realized that he'd desperately needed this past year.

But Rocinante gave him a knowing smile, and as the blond drew Law into another kiss, the dark haired surgeon knew, as he wrapped his arms around the back of Rocinante's neck, that this felt right. Law believed right then and there as he was being kissed breathless that no matter what happened tomorrow, he would not be leaving town without Rocinante.

The other man had made that very clear in his words and actions thus far.

The dark haired surgeon couldn't even leave if he wanted to with the way Rocinante held him so tightly in the middle of the living room but that was perfectly fine with Law. He had no desire to go anywhere right that second anyway and Rocinante seemed to share the surgeon's sentiments on the matter as he steered Law toward the couch.

It seemed like neither of them were going to get sleep that night, if things continued in such a manner.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Kind of a more informational set up chapter than anything to let people know I am going to be writing the sequel but just at a slower pace. And excuse me while I write sappy crap because I need some angst-y fluff again (and just fluff in general).


	2. Chapter 2

Law made no protest whatsoever when Rocinante urged him to lie on his back on the couch. What did confuse the dark haired surgeon briefly was that the other man did not join him on the couch as well. Law turned his head to the side to look at the blond curiously.

"Cora?" Law saw a happy smile cross Rocinante's face as the man settled next to the couch on his knees.

"I missed hearing your voice. I missed you calling me that these past two months." The blond haired officer murmured, his voice warm and happy. With another, smaller smile, Rocinante reached up with a hand to take Law's left hand in his own, and brought it to his lips for a brief kiss.

Law shifted under the attention, and even if he had not been around the blond for a year, he knew what the other man was up to. Normally he might not have wanted to have that much attention piled onto him at once, but given how upsetting things had been in his life this past year, Law fond he craved the attention.

And Rocinante knew that he did.

It explained why the blond haired man began to lay a trail of soft kisses on Law's hand without asking if he could do so. Rocinante made his way up the surgeon's arm, leaning up on his knees toward Law in order to make it to the other man's shoulder, despite there being a sweater in the way. It didn't seem to matter to Rocinante, because it was Law's reaction to what he was doing that he was more interested in anyway. It was as if Rocinante wanted to see that he was making Law feel better with what he'd chosen to do.

"Cora." Law breathed out with a slow sigh as Rocinante quietly laid a trail of kisses back down his arm and to his hand, where the blond placed a lingering kiss on the back of the surgeon's tattooed hand. "What are you doing?"

"You look like you wanted me to kiss you, so I am." Rocinante murmured in response as he inched closer to the couch, and leaned over Law's abdomen in order to snatch up his other hand and pay the same attention to that arm as he had the other. And this time, after he'd kissed the back of Law's right hand, Rocinante nuzzled his cheek against Law's and placed a kiss there as well.

Law found that he couldn't say anything because he was too busy cursing himself for being such a damn idiot for ever thinking it was all right to leave this man behind for an entire year. It would have served him right if Rocinante had not wanted anything to do with him after so long. But as Rocinante continued to shower him with kisses and light caresses, Law found that he was beginning to relax under all of the loving affection. Since the dark haired surgeon didn't tell the other man to stop, Rocinante apparently took the silence as an okay to continue with the kissing. Law did let out a faint moan as Rocinante brushed his lips against his throat and then nuzzled his way to tease the spot between ear and jaw. The surgeon felt Rocinante settle his attention on that spot, and after a few lingering kisses, Law finally squirmed in place and awkwardly wrapped his arms around the back of the blond's neck in an attempt to get him to desist. After all, the skin that Rocinante got one more kiss placed on was a spot that made Law react more than he wished to in that moment.

"Cora…" Law breathed, and he couldn't quite remember what it was that he wanted to ask when Rocinante raised his head and met his gaze. And then, quite suddenly the blond haired officer reached up and gently removed the surgeon's arms from around his neck. Law stared at the hands around his wrists, before he raised his head to say something.

Lips met his instead, and Law let out a soft sound into the kiss as Rocinante gently got him to rest his arms against the couch again.

Law let him do what he wanted, because the surgeon knew that he was not the only one that had suffered being apart from one another. Law wanted to know what Rocinante was up to, although if he was going to give him all those kisses, perhaps he didn't so much care what the blond was up to if he kept it up. Law let a muffled sound out as Rocinante slowly rose from the floor, and rested his hands on his shoulders as he kept up the kiss. Law's eyes squeezed shut as he indulged in the rather desperate kiss, even if he couldn't quite figure out why it was so desperate. It wasn't like Law was planning on leaving anytime soon. Not when Rocinante was there and clearly intent on closing the distance between them.

"Law."

The dark haired surgeon shivered at the low tone Rocinante's voice had taken after he broke the kiss and settled over him on the couch. Law subconsciously tilted his head back as Rocinante leaned over to brush his lips against the side of his neck. Law wondered if there would be any actual conversation that night or if the blond haired officer intended on using the remainder of the night to ensure that he didn't sleep at all. But after another chaste kiss to the lips, Rocinante decided to surprise the dark haired surgeon.

"I am transferring to the station that is in this town." The blond murmured against Law's neck. "I was going to see the police chief of this town tomorrow to get things settled."

Still distracted by the breath spilling against his throat, Law struggled to process the information. "What about your job back in the city?"

"I couldn't stay there knowing you weren't likely to come back home." Rocinante said as he traced his hand up along Law's left side before it settled into dark blue hair to give it a light ruffle. "I told you before that I would rather be wherever you are. So transferring to another station isn't that big of a deal if that means I get to spend more time with you. Sengoku even agreed that it would be good to have me transfer, since I apparently can't stop talking about you." Rocinante smiled down at Law. "So don't go anywhere when I went out of my way to make sure that I could be close to you."

"Aren't you worried about what other people will think of you if and when they find out who I am?" Law asked quietly.

"I don't care what they think of me." Rocinante replied as he reached over with his free hand to lightly caress the surgeon's cheek. "Besides, the only person whose opinion I am interested in is yours, so it will be fine."

"I've been told many times that I'm a terrible person. A murderer." Law said at length. "I've been told that I should die for what I've done."

"Oh, Law..." Rocinante settled his hand against Law's cheek, and waited until he'd made eye contact with the surgeon before continuing in an anxious tone. "You're not a terrible person at all." The blond offered a broken little smile. "You only did what you had to do to protect your friends. And me. I don't want you to die at all. I want you to live after going through such a terrible ordeal, and I want to be with you for it. I love you. I don't want to see you hurting."

Law silently looked up at Rocinante, and whatever it was that was in his expression made Rocinante lean over him closer to engage in a slow and sensuous kiss. The dark haired surgeon let out a soft sigh as Rocinante drew away, and when Law peeked up, he saw that the blond haired officer was eyeing him with something akin to concern. "What is it?"

"You don't really think you deserve to die, do you?" Rocinante asked worriedly. "You didn't do anything wrong with what position you were put in. Most people would have caved in to the pressure."

"I don't know." Law said, going limp on the couch at the thought. "It's just hard to think anything else when everywhere you go you are met with nothing but hostility."

Rocinante didn't say anything other than to lightly caress the surgeon's cheek again and look like he really, really wanted to convince Law in some way that he shouldn't listen to the people that said such things.

Law wondered how he could venture a guess at the blond's thoughts, then decided that it was likely because Rocinante was such a sweetheart that he didn't want Law to think badly of himself for something he had no choice in. But there was something Law felt that he needed to let Rocinante know.

"Law, I-"

"I'm not sure if I can stay in this town for long." The dark haired surgeon cut in, before he was too distracted by Rocinante trying to console him and attempt to convince him that things would get better. But that didn't seem likely. Not with some things that happened in the past year that the surgeon had not yet let Rocinante know of. Law couldn't help but smile at the faint pout that crossed the blond's face for being interrupted, and reached up with his left hand to ruffle the messy blond hair beneath the red hood. "It's not because I don't want to be with you, but because I was outed again as the Surgeon of Death. I tried to go to the clinic but the townspeople didn't want me there. They only let me linger because their doctor was not there and they needed an injured police officer seen to immediately."

"An officer was hurt? Who? What was their name?" Rocinante sounded a little more alert, even if there was a coldness underlying his words over the thought of people harassing Law.

"I didn't get a name." The surgeon admitted after a moment. "I didn't get a chance to ask any questions, because as soon as I was finished, they told me to get out." Law closed his eyes. "And they told me not to leave town until their doctor had taken a look at my work." The surgeon hadn't meant for the bitterness and the hurt to seep into his voice, but knew that the blond had heard it because the hands left his head and cheek, and Law soon found himself experiencing the reassuring and warm weight of Rocinante as he pressed himself to him in a hug.

"I'm sorry. I should have made sure the information had no chance to get out to the public." Rocinante murmured against Law's shoulder as he tightened his hold. "Is that why you've been moving around so much? Because people find out what you were forced do, and make you leave town?"

Law was a little dazed by just how warm Rocinante was, and didn't even think to try and get a hold of him as he just enjoyed having someone that loved him hold him so securely. It also made Law run his mouth, but at the very least, it would never get him in trouble with Rocinante. It would only get the people who mistreated him anger from the blond for the way that he was treated.

"At least this time around I wasn't driven out of town. I have a few scars from that from about half a year ago." Law felt Rocinante press closer, and heard the other man's breath hitch as if in disbelief. The surgeon hastily got his arms around Rocinante's neck and held him there before the other man could lever himself up on a forearm to look down at him. "Most of the time I was asked to leave by the next day, and then told that they would use force if I didn't. I usually left soon after I was given the ultimatum, because it was easier that way to avoid the glares and mistrust in other people's eyes as I left."

Law heard Rocinante mumble something against his shoulder, and pressed on, feeling he had to get it out. "I didn't contact you by phone because I knew you would hear that I was having a hard time. I didn't want to distract you if you were busy with work. But I was tempted to call, especially after the past two months…they've been hard with what happened, but I…I felt I could handle it. I didn't want to bother you over something I thought I could deal with on my own. It seems I may have been wrong, considering what went on this past year." Law fell silent as soon as he realized he felt something wet against the side of his throat, and then it hit him that Rocinante had started to cry.

"I'm so sorry." Rocinante whispered against the surgeon's neck. "I didn't know. I thought you were moving so often because there weren't any job openings."

Law gave a light squeeze of his arms around Rocinante's neck before he removed them. The blond haired man was very sweet to think that that was Law's only trouble, but as soon as the surgeon saw Rocinante lift his head to look at him through teary eyes, Law knew that he'd made the right decision to not let all of what had been happening to him in the past year get to Rocinante.

The man was already a mess as it was, and Law had barely scraped the surface of what exactly had happened while he was away. And Law was reluctant to tell him the worst part when Rocinante already looked like he was going to continue crying and might very well break down into full on sobs and just hold him for the rest of the night as if his mere presence could make things better. The blond's presence was a great help, because Law had been uncertain how much longer he could hold out on what seemed like a useless venture.

"Law." Rocinante sat up and reached over to help the surgeon up to his knees.

"Be careful." Law cautioned, as he watched Rocinante settle back on the couch. "I don't want you to fall and hit your head." The surgeon let out a gasp as the blond tugged him over and onto him, but settled easily enough against Rocinante's chest when the man wrapped his arms snug around Law's back. Law even managed a very tiny smile as the blond had him lean up so that they could briefly rest forehead to forehead.

"I will be. I just wanted to hug you and not crush you." Rocinante smiled, a little sadly this time, as he ran his hands reassuringly along Law's back. "Is there anything else you didn't tell me while you were gone?"

Law suddenly didn't want to say what else had happened, but Rocinante was looking at him with such a serene if morose look, that he couldn't help but speak. "There is."

Rocinante stilled his hands on Law's back, concern working its way into his features.

Law took a deep breath before letting it out, and since he couldn't look the other man in the eyes, the dark haired surgeon chose to press himself down against Rocinante and breathe it out against his neck instead.

"The last city that I tried to find work in. I wasn't chased out that time." Law subconsciously gripped Rocinante's left shoulder. "I was ambushed on my way to the house I was renting. They didn't say anything but I knew that they had seen me trying to get work at the hospital. They had to have known who I was." Law felt Rocinante's right arm wrap around his back protectively and hastily continued, knowing that if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to finish. "I didn't see them, so I didn't knw that they had unfriendly intentions. I was struck from behind and dragged into the alley while I was dazed. I don't know how long they kicked me and beat me, but it was long enough that I lost consciousness."

"Law." Rocinante choked out, too shocked and horrified from the sound of it to wonder why Law hadn't said anything to him.

"When I woke up, I was a long way from the city, as I was in the forest a few good miles from the outskirts of the city limits. I know because I saw it when I initially went to the city to look for a job. I believe that my attackers thought they must have killed me, because I was in some shallow, dug out grave that they couldn't be bothered to fill in all the way. Probably wanted the wildlife to get to me first, I suppose." Law moved his hand from the blond's shoulder to his forearm and gripped it tight, knowing that from the way the Rocinante had gone rigid that he had half a mind to demand Law tell him who his attackers were so he could find them and arrest them. "Funnily enough, the only thing they took from me were the keys to the house I was renting. My phone had been destroyed, and my wallet and watch were tossed carelessly a shot distance away. Didn't even bother taking my credit cards."

"That's why you…didn't answer my texts for two weeks?" Rocinante's voice was faint.

"It is kind of hard to contact someone with a destroyed phone." Law agreed. He was surprised the blond was taking this so well. "It took me at least a day and a half to feel well enough to move, and another day to get to some rural town. Luckily no one knew who I was, and they treated my injuries for me. I spent five days there paying them back with assistance in their clinic, but didn't linger lest they realized who I was. It took me a week to get to another town, and buy a phone, and that's when I sent texts to you and Shachi and Penguin. Another month later and I came here." Law let out a slow sigh. "I guess that I am lucky that it seems no one harbors a murderous intent in this town. I don't think my body could handle another beating like that."

Rocinante was completely silent, but he had started to cry again from the sound of it, and likely in disbelief that someone would do such a thing.

Law actually wasn't surprised that someone would try to kill him, however sloppily done. Considering the circumstances, the dark haired surgeon was honestly surprised that more people had not gotten it in their heads to try and kill him. Law had no chance to say anything more as Rocinante suddenly decided to break his silence. The dark haired surgeon knew he should have expected the response, but it had come on quickly.

"You could have died!" Rocinante said in distraught, struggling upright onto the couch so that he could seize Law by the shoulders. "And you didn't say anything!"

"There was nothing you could have done for me at that point in time." Law said, acutely aware of the over a foot of height difference between them, as well as how much stronger the blond was than he. "It happened so suddenly that I had no time to defend myself, and no time to catch a glimpse of them, as they conveniently had a bag to put over my head before I could right myself."

"It wouldn't have happened at all if you hadn't left home in the first place." Rocinante shot back, still crying but clearly upset over Law's rather laidback acceptance of what had happened. "They wouldn't have gotten the chance if I was able to be there with you."

"I highly doubt they would have been dissuaded." Law said, detached. "It was bound to have happened sometime, when someone decided to take justice into their own hands." He knew there would be anger over this, but for Rocinante to direct some of it at him specifically was something he couldn't understand. He'd have thought the blond would have been more worried over his health than his decision to stay away from home. The dark haired surgeon winced as Rocinante's hands gripped him tighter.

"And if you knew that there was a possibility of someone wanting to harm you, why did you leave?" The blond haired officer demanded. "You would have been less likely to have been attacked if you hadn't been alone. Did you know that Penguin and Shachi were worried that someone might try to harm you if you were out on your own?"

"No, I didn't." Law said honestly. "And there is no way you could have been around to protect me all of the time. Someone would likely have waited until you were at work to do something to me. Besides, it already happened and nothing can change that fact. I'm just lucky they didn't actually kill me. It isn't something to be concerned over anymore now that it is done and over with." Law thought he had mostly figured Rocinante out, but he did not at all expect for the blond to let go of him and do something unexpected. The dark haired surgeon felt a burning sting across one cheek, and reeled slightly as he realized that the blond had just slapped him.

Rocinante appeared to still be crying, but didn't say anything, as if he couldn't figure out how to put his thoughts into words.

But the slap made Law do something unexpected too. Something he didn't think he'd ever do again.

The dark haired surgeon started crying himself.

Law definitely didn't look at Rocinante as he hastily slid off his lap and got off the couch with all haste. He didn't think the blond had meant to slap him so hard, but Law was so tired of being verbally and physically abused by other people over the past year that for Rocinante to do it to him was too much for him to handle. The dark haired surgeon heard Rocinante say something under his breath before there was a creak of the couch as the blond rose to his feet as well, only to let out a grunt as he apparently tripped himself and fell to the ground.

"Law, wait." Rocinante's voice choked on the words, the guilt clear in his voice.

The dark haired surgeon kept on walking in the direction of the bedroom. He couldn't control his emotions that were out of array from reliving a harrowing memory that could have left him dead. Law couldn't stop the tears, and didn't bother. He was too exhausted to care anymore that he couldn't control his body's responses. It seemed that he wasn't going to ever catch a break, and hated that Rocinante had slapped him. All Law had wanted was the other man's comforting presence to outweigh the shit he'd been put through over the last year. Law wasn't sure what he would accomplish going to bed, but it seemed like Rocinante would not leave him alone.

It was oddly reassuring, even if Law was upset with the blond haired man. But as he stepped into the room and had arms wrap firmly around his waist, the surgeon knew that he had wanted the other man to follow after him.

To explain himself.

The surgeon might even forgive him for striking him if he had a good enough explanation.

Law shivered as Rocinante pressed up against him from behind snugly, before the blond's voice came out haltingly between the tears.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stand that you would talk so dismissively about yourself. Or insinuate that I couldn't protect you as best I could. I was afraid for your safety the whole time you've been gone. And then to hear you talk about almost being killed in such a way...I can't handle you thinking about yourself in such a way. It hurts me to see it. To hear it in your voice, and I just-" Rocinante pressed his face against the back of Law's shoulders and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hit you so hard. I…I'm…" The blond broke down as he hugged Law closer and kissed the side of his neck. "I'm glad you're all right. You scared me, saying such things. I…didn't mean to make you cry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"I'm not crying." Law said stubbornly, even as he lifted one arm to wipe the back of a hand against his eyelids to get rid of the incriminating tears.

"Of course you aren't." Rocinante agreed readily enough. "I am sorry, though. That was…a shock. I hadn't realized someone had tried to-" The blond cut himself off. "I'm so sorry, Law. I'm so glad that nothing bad came of that. I'm happy you're still here."

Law turned around within the blond haired officer's arms, and looked up at him. The tears were still there, as was the guilt in Rocinante's eyes over what he'd done. The dark haired surgeon sighed and shook his head. "We're both upset, I suppose. I guess I shouldn't have kept it to myself, but I felt you would have insisted on bringing me home whether I wanted to go or not if I had."

Rocinante nuzzled his cheek cautiously against the side of Law's neck. "I would have too."

Law reached up and gripped the heart tassels of the red hood and urged Rocinante to lean over him in order to kiss him. It was a feather light kiss, as if the blond were still feeling remorse over his actions. The surgeon broke the kiss and peeked up at Rocinante. "I'll forgive you for slapping me if you stay here with me."

An uncertain yet clearly happy smile crossed Rocinante's feature's as his expression softened. "Of course, Law, that was my plan all along." The blond gave Law a lingering kiss, before the smile became genuine and warm. "I love you, after all, and I'd rather not be parted from you again for so long. And now that I know a little more, I want to make sure that you stay safe."

Law was about to answer when there was a single knock to the front door, and that was enough to distract him.

Rocinante turned his head to eye the door down the hall, before he linked a hand through Law's and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll go with you."

Law gave a single nod, because it would be better to get it over with. But when he answered the door, with Rocinante at his side, he received another surprise. The caller was the same man that he had treated some hours ago in the town's small clinic, and the officer wasted no time in letting the dark haired surgeon know why he was there.

"I apologize for calling on you so late, but I was to let you know that our doctor wants to see you. The sooner the better." The man seemed to remember something, and he held his hand out. "I also wanted to thank you in person for seeing to my injuries. My name is Dalton, and I'm the police chief of this town." Dalton shook the surgeon's hand when Law finally stuck it out at Rocinante's instance. "This winter will be my tenth year as chief. I hope you'll stay for the festivities. The cider is rather good this time of the year."

Law was not sure what to make of all that, but there was suddenly a tiny spark of hope that perhaps he would not be leaving this town as soon as he might have thought. Rocinante certainly seemed to think so, from the way the blond had subconsciously wrapped his arm around the surgeon's waist to give Law a reassuring side hug.

It was a small hope, but hope all the same, and the surgeon had been lacking in it until Rocinante had come back into Law's life that night.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: I needed fluff today so therefore I wrote fluff and made it a bit longer of a chapter because of the uncertainty regarding updates. And I decided that there will be things that Law will let Rocinante know about as he opens up to him again bit by bit with what he has been having to deal with over the past year.

Oh, and as there is now Dalton in the fic (who I think randomly gives out useless information, if I remember correctly), there will also be the doctor he is talking about. There is only one doctor I could think of who would perhaps think that people are stupid for letting someone of Law's talent go over something he was found not guilty for, and would therefore be more likely to give him a job.


	3. Chapter 3

Dalton glanced between Law and Rocinante, before he addressed the latter. "You must be Rocinante. Sengoku said that you'd be coming in the next day or so." Dalton looked between the two men, before he added curiously. "Do you two know each other then?"

Rocinante wrapped an arm protectively around Law's shoulders. "He is my partner. I asked to transfer here because I couldn't stand being parted from Law any longer." Rocinante held on tightly, knowing that the dark haired surgeon was likely to be embarrassed, and the blond really couldn't find it in himself to let go of him just yet. Rocinante was merely relieved that Dalton only appeared to be surprised by the revelation, and nothing more.

"I hated that Law was moving around so often this past year, because of what happened." Rocinante felt the dark haired man press up against him subconsciously, and drew him closer to his side. "Because of the media embellishing Law's acts as the Surgeon of Death, and the fact that the rumors continued, despite Law being found not guilty…I thought that…" The blond briefly glanced down at Law, before continuing, his hand gripping the surgeon's shoulder gently. "I thought that if I were around, perhaps he would be less likely to leave if there was someone around who wanted to see him. To be with him." Rocinante really hoped that the reason that Law had tensed beside him was because he appreciated what he intended when choosing to move here, and not horrified that the blond would subject himself to the unfriendly stares of others. When Rocinante looked back at Dalton, he saw that the police chief appeared to be more convinced of something.

"You will go to the clinic with me right now?" Dalton asked, and his eyes on Law. "I said I'd bring you as soon as I found you."

The dark haired surgeon took a deep breath and let it out before he gave a single, decisive nod.

Rocinante squeezed Law against him in the hug lightly before letting go of him to allow him to walk, but not moving too far away from him as he and Law followed after Dalton. The blond haired officer was surprised that the police chief was doing remarkably well considering the injuries he'd received. Another thought that crossed Rocinante's mind during the walk to town was the underlying concern that Law's confidence seemed to have taken a hit with all of the negativity he'd been forced to deal with.

-x-

Law really didn't want to go to the clinic. He would have rather stayed in that house with Rocinante, who did not flinch or glare at the sight of him. But the blond haired officer had given him an encouraging hug, and Law felt that the other man was all but pressed to his side as they followed Dalton into the town's main square. Law tried and failed to get Rocinante to not hang onto one of his arms, because there were some people who were out at this time of night and those people happened to not only give the surgeon distrustful looks, but Rocinante as well. Law gave the blond's hand a squeeze, slilently warning him to not glare or otherwise act out in return. The sugeon felt reassured when Rocinante' gave his hand a light squeeze in return, indicating that the blond already knew not to react defensively, no matter how much he wished to defend Law.

"They shouldn't look at you like this." Rocinante murmured a moment later, his voice clearly unhappy. "They don't know anything about you, other than what they have heard from the media."

"People will believe what they will." Law muttered in return. "Ignore them. I didn't compose myself as best I could have around them earlier. I am not going to give them further reason to give me such looks."

"I love you Law." Rocinante said suddenly, in a quiet murmur.

Law's hand twitched at the soft confession, before he took a breath, let it out, and leaned heavily up against Rocinante as he gave the other man's hand another squeeze.

Rocinante offered a little smile as they reached the entrance of the small clinic moments later.

Inside the clinic, which was, in reality, an older home that had been transformed into the clinic, contained a small waiting room, four rooms for patients to rest and recover in, and a large room for supplies and where the operations took place. Law had no time to compose himself or even say anything as the dark haired surgeon was suddenly confronted by a rather spry older woman, who got right up in his personal space.

"So you're the one who patched Dalton up?" The woman demanded as she looked Law over, as if trying to figure something out. "How in the world did you manage a surgery with the medical equipment that is here? I have to send off the more serious cases to the nearest city for treatment. That's what those dunderheads outside in town should have done since I was not around to tell them to get Dalton taken to the city immediately."

"I did what I could with what I had." Law reacted defensively, not very much liking how close this woman got in his space. "I don't even see why you would waste time sending someone away if the operations can be done here perfectly fine."

"Kureha, perhaps you should-" Dalton was cut off as the older doctor's voice overrode his.

"The people in town let you operate on him?" Kureha indicated Dalton.

"I said that I could help. That I was a doctor. A surgeon." Law said in return, and with Rocinante still standing near him, added. "Even if they all looked like they expected me to stab him with a scalpel instead." Law felt the blond haired officer trail a hand lightly along his back, and it was obvious that Rocinante didn't like the thought of someone thinking about him in such a way. Law really needed to make sure he paid attention to the blond when they got back to the house. Rocinante deserved more attention than Law had been giving him this past year. "I was a bit tempted to throw something at one of the people breathing down my neck while I worked."

The older woman, Kureha, cackled then, and displayed a rather surprising amount of strength as she slapped Dalton on the shoulder as she sent him stumbling toward a nearby bed. "You, go lay back down. I shouldn't have let you leave in the first place, but I needed a level head to go and get there surgeon to come here." Kureha turned to Law, and laughed again as she scrutinized him closely. "You did what you could, is that right?"

Law nodded firmly as he repeated himself. "With what I had available to me, yes. I had wondered at the time if they were holding supplies back, just to justify their feelings toward me."

"They probably gave you what _was_ available." Kureha hooked a thumb Dalton's way. "Everyone respects the chief of police, so they would have given you whatever was available at the time to make sure he got as proper a treatment as he could."

"Was what I saw before really all the medical equipment and supplies that are here?" Law frowned for a moment, before a faint smirk flashed across his features, his tone part dismissive and part arrogant. "I could understand a novice not knowing what to do with those supplies, but there should be no reason that larger scale or delicate operations couldn't be carried out as well. I could make do with what is here, even if some more sophisticated tools would make things easier. And with what I saw from some of those medical note files to see if Dalton had been operated on before, you should be able to do more here as well."

"Oh, is that right? You think so, do you? You sure have a lot of confidence in your abilities as a surgeon." Kureha smiled at the rather arrogant tone Law had used. "If I had your skill I would need even less supplies and equipment than I already have here. Hell, I wouldn't even need assistance because no one I know of could have done the work you did with 'what you had' for Dalton."

Law was confused, and honestly didn't know why Rocinante looked over to Dalton in that moment, but it was dismissed from his mind as the older doctor spoke up again, the topic entirely different.

"Are you working anywhere right now?" Kureha's voice seemed to make it appear that she had doubts, due to the dark haired surgeon's abilities. As if it weren't feasible for Law to not be working somewhere will his skill level.

"No, I am not." Law admitted after hesitating for a fraction of a second. The dark haired surgeon had no reason to lie about what had happened. "I had to resign from the hospital I originally worked at." Law's voice turned glum as he went over the past year, and felt Rocinante inch closer to him as if silently offering comfort. "Anywhere I tried to go, no one would have me. What happened during the time I was forced to act as The Surgeon of Death would not allow anyone to see me as anything but some murderer. Not someone who could help them."

"Their loss." Kureha said dismissively. "Letting go of someone with your talent? The fools." The older doctor was silent for a moment, before she faced Law squarely. "You want to work here? I get all kinds of injuries here due to the work that's out in the forest and surrounding area. Some require a more delicate touch for operations that I normally cart off to the city. The ones you say wouldn't have to leave town for treatment, because you could fix them up perfectly fine here. Isn't that right?"

Law was speechless, not sure he had heard the older woman correctly, but Rocinante's voice was suddenly by his ear, as the blond had leaned over to give him an encouraging half hug.

"You said you wanted to be able to work, right?" Rocinante asked softly.

"Yes…" Law said faintly.

"Then don't let an opportunity like this slip by." The blond haired officer urged. "Besides, I think she's already made her decision."

Law met Kureha's gaze. "It would be good to be able to work again, but won't the townspeople be suspicious of me? It will make it hard to get tasks accomplished if that is the case."

"Of course they are going to be suspicious of you." Kureha said bluntly. "You did commit those murders, whether you did them willingly or not." She waved Rocinante's objection aside without even looking at him. "You'll be the boyfriend Chopper mentioned, I suppose. The police officer. Don't try to defend him; you're in the wrong too, if you knew about what he was doing, even though he was found not guilty. Lots of people will still believe that he is, and I don't think it will be easy for him to gain any trust back after all that." The older woman briefly glanced at Rocinante before setting her sights back on Law. "I figure only a few really would need to believe in you, and everyone else who isn't a part of your life can be ignored. It isn't worth it to dwell on ignorant fools. It's a waste of time and energy, trying to convince people of something they already think they know all about." Kureha headed for the door to the front of the clinic. "But I can deal with those idiots outside, so you don't have to worry about them breathing down your neck during an operation. I wouldn't put it past a few to try to do just that. Can't say what outsiders will do if they catch sight of you, though."

Law wore a perplexed expression, his mind slowly processing what was happening, before he wriggled out of Rocinante's grasp and turned to look up at him. The dark haired surgeon found the blond happily beaming down at him over the way things were going.

"See? You got a job. I saw that you didn't want to come here, but are you glad that you did now?"

"I suppose." Law said, still a bit skeptical about how the day, or rather, night, had changed for the better.

Rocinante invaded the surgeon's personal space in order to lean over and brush his lips gently against a cheek in a brief kiss. "You don't have to leave this town now. You can stay here with me." Rocinante lowered his voice so Dalton wouldn't hear him. "I want to be able to hold you for longer. Among other things."

"Like kissing?" Law's face heated up a little at the way the conversation was headed, and startled just a little bit as he felt himself spun about, out of Dalton's sight. Before Law could figure out why, he felt Rocinante's lips against his own in a slow, lingering kiss. Law forgot what they were talking about as soon as the kiss was broken.

"That, too." Rocinante agreed with a happy smile. "I want to kiss you a lot to make up for the past year when I couldn't."

Law remembered Rocinante teasing him one night over a video chat by showing him exactly how he wanted to kiss him. That had been…interesting.

At the dark haired surgeon's stutters, the blond nodded in the direction of the front door of the clinic. "I think that you should be there when she addresses the townspeople."

"Those that happen to be awake at this time of night." Law returned dryly, shoving aside any lingering embarrassment from before over the idea of Rocinante wanting to be able to kiss him to make up for lost time. That would involve quite a lot of kissing, and at present, Law decided it would be best to save those thoughts until he was back home with the blond.

"I'm sure the ones who saw us come here will have alerted the rest of the townspeople." Rocinante gently nudged the surgeon in the direction of the front door. "Go on. I'll be here when you're through out there."

Law gave a nod, feeling slightly nervous over the thought of being scrutinized anymore than he already had been. It was getting to be a bit too much for him after being subjugated to it for so long. Law joined Kureha just outside the clinic door a few moments later, and all but froze at the sight of what looked like the entire town in various state of dress, and all of them more or less glaring at him or looking at him mistrustfully as soon as they caught sight of him. The dark haired surgeon felt something bead at the corner of his eyes at the sight of loathing, the mistrust, and the expressions that seemed to make it appear that some of those who were gathered thought he might hurt the older doctor who he now stood next to. Law bit his lips, realizing that he was close to crying, and he refused to do so. It wasn't like him, and Law couldn't keep letting things like this affect him, or he would be unable to get anything accomplished.

But Kureha seemed to take notice of the unsaid words, and immediately ripped into the crowd without any warning at all.

"You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves for questioning this man's intentions to help Dalton earlier today. He was under no obligation to offer his services but he did so anyway, even though he had to have known that he would receive this kind of reception. He even stayed at his home after he was finished with the operation, even though he didn't have to listen to any of you when you told him not to leave until I came back."

A flurry of words was said in return as people spoke over one another to try and get their opinion heard. None of them seemed to care that Law was there to hear them and what exactly they thought he was well capable of doing if not watched.

"But he could have hurt Dalton more if we took our eyes off him-"

"Why should we trust him, after what he's done?"

"-could have done something during the surgery."

"Yeah, he could have poisoned him or something-"

One man, bolder than the rest, called out loudly from the back of the crowd. "What if he killed Dalton and no one was around to see it? He did it before, so why wouldn't he do it again?"

Kureha beaned the speaker with an expertly thrown bottle of some sort of medicine, as if expecting some outburst, before she spoke again. "Read the circumstances! He did what he felt was right to protect what was important to him. It may not have been the right decision, but sometimes people make foolish decisions to protect loved ones. Even if it goes against commons sense and what is right or wrong, what's done is done."

It may have been Law's imagination, but he could have sworn that there was some meaning to some of those words, even if it didn't seem to pertain to Kureha herself. And then the surgeon noticed something more important in that moment. The tears he'd tried to prevent were falling anyway.

Odd.

Law had thought he had better control of himself than that. But what the older doctor had said was true, and perhaps it was someone outright stating what he believed hit Law more than he thought it would.

Kureha apparently noticed that the dark haired surgeon next to her was crying, as she made sure to point it out, regardless of whether the surgeon wanted her to or not. "Would someone without guilt cry over being forced to do something against their will? Against what they felt was right or wrong? When it went against their instincts as a doctor?" Kureha crossed her arms and gave the crowd a no nonsense glare. "I am going to take Law on here as a surgeon in my clinic. None of you had better give him any grief. I want him to do the best job he can with the patients who come in, so I don't need you idiots harassing him or breathing down his neck when he's trying to prevent someone from dying. This boy's had enough to deal with and he doesn't need fools to harass him when they don't bother to get the whole story." Kureha's gaze fell on the basely asshole from before who was now just getting back up to his feet. "And none of you would recognize how to use tact if it came up and hit you in the face. If anyone has any issues with my decision about taking him on here in this clinic, you come to me and leave the surgeon here out of it"

Law covered his eyes with a hand in an effort to hide the tears that he didn't want falling. The dark haired surgeon's thanks was barely audible because he was too overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all to truly process it, but the heavy weight on his chest seemed to lift at the potential of having an actual job for the first time in a year. To have relief over the fact that he was not going be forced to again leave a place for his role as the Surgeon of Death. Perhaps all of the misery, rejection and general hopelessness was finally at an end. Rocinante showing up in person to be a part of his life again was already a big positive, and Law couldn't help but wonder if and when it would all go wrong again.

"You're a mess." Kureha griped, as she reached over and gave Law a hefty shove in the back toward the front door. "Go calm yourself down. I think I need to make things clearer for these people."

Law silently closed the door as the older doctor raised her voice again. The dark haired surgeon didn't bother taking in his surroundings other than to go and locate Rocinante. Law found him in a room adjacent to Dalton's soon enough, and Law didn't even protest being given a firm and reassuring hug, because as soon as Rocinante had seen the tears, the blond was off his feet and determined to offer comfort.

"Are you all right?" Rocinante asked worriedly, drawing back slightly in order to search Law's face for an answer.

"It seems that I do have a job here now. And Kureha is telling the townspeople to not harass me so that I can work in peace." Law allowed Rocinante to lead him over to the small bed in the room, and sat down so that the blond could better wrap his arms around him to hold him close. Law sagged against Rocinante's side, not realizing just how exhausted he was until all of that tension from the uncertainty over a job and a place to live now left him as what had just happened sunk in.

"See? It worked out after all." Rocinante brushed a kiss to the surgeon's cheek before he rested his forehead against Law's briefly. When he moved back, the blond was wearing a warm, happy smile. "And now I will get to spend more time with you because of it."

"But there is the matter of needing an assistant during some surgeries that could potentially occur in the future. I don't want to work with someone who mistrusts me-" Law let out a surprised gasp as Rocinante swooped down on him and gave him a kiss, and then urged him backward onto the bed to he could continue the kiss more enthusiastically.

"Co…Cora…" Law said as he gripped the sheets beneath him while Rocinante settled over him and nuzzled along the side of his throat.

"We should head home." Rocinante murmured as he laid a kiss between ear and jaw, which drew a brief squirm from Law. "I want to touch you. I want to make you feel better."

"I already feel better, now that I have a job." Law said, confused.

"But you're crying." Rocinante said worriedly as he reached up to brush a finger lightly along Law's cheek. "Why? Did something happen out front?"

The dark haired surgeon couldn't deny that the evidence of his tears from before were still there, so Law continued on what he'd gotten stuck on before to avoid answering Rocinante's questions. "I can't work on my own all the time."

"You just got the job." Rocinante stated. "I would hope that there won't be an influx of patients right away, so there should be time to find someone you can work with."

"I suppose so." Law said doubtfully.

Rocinante wordlessly lay alongside Law as he wrapped his arms around the dark haired surgeon again and rested his cheek against Law's.

"What are you doing?" Law asked, wriggling slightly in order to free his arms enough to grip the blond's sweater.

"You looked like you needed another hug." Rocinante stated as he mischievously pecked Law on the cheek again.

"I do not look like that." The surgeon said defensively as he looked away. At least he wasn't crying anymore. Law wouldn't have wanted Rocinante to join in on the crying as well, as it would have made him feel guilty. "Whatever it is that you think I look like."

"Hmn, now that you mention it, you also look like you could use a good night's sleep." Rocinante snuggled closer as he wrapped his arms around Law more firmly to prevent escape. It had been some time since he got to hold the other man and the blond appeared reluctant to let go now that he had Law in his arms again. "You look tired."

"How's that?" Law questioned, hands lightly slapping at the blond haired officer's forearms in silent protest of being held so tightly. "Cora…too tight...hard to breathe."

"Sorry." Rocinante loosened his grasp a tad bit but refused to let go all of the way. "You probably haven't had a decent night sleep. It would be helpful to get a good night's rest, because I'm sure that doctor Kureha would like for you to start working tomorrow, here at this clinic."

"Then you will have to let go of me so we can leave." Law said dryly, though he had stopped trying to get away because he had had a sudden realization that he missed being held like this. But he wasn't going to admit it aloud. But just like before, Rocinante seemed to sense his reluctance, and made things easier on the surgeon by letting go of him a few minutes later with one more feather light kiss.

As the two of them headed for the door, Law had to wonder if things would continue to get better. To go in his favor, instead of against it, as it had been for the past year. As Law and Rocinante walked down the path back to the surgeon's home further from town, the dark haired surgeon had no idea of knowing then and there that there would be someone at the clinic the next day when he got there. Someone that would solve his worries over who might assist him on the trickier operations. Because it wasn't only Rocinante, Shachi, Penguin and a select few others who believed in Law and his reasoning behind working as the Surgeon of Death. There were other people too who wanted things to go well for Law, and all of them seemed determined to make the surgeon's life easier in one way or another. But Law wouldn't be overly happy with some of his neighbors and the company they chose to have over at times. Or for people who happened to turn up in town from seemingly nowhere for no reason at all.

There was only so much the surgeon was willing to take in at one time, and having an overly enthusiastic shadow that was not Rocinante was not something Law wanted or needed at six in the morning.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Yes, I put Dr. Kureha in the fic (even though I haven't read the arc with her in it for awhile, so I'm not sure if she's ooc, as it this fic is also modern AU). I guess I'm not sure about how the other characters are either at times, so I'm just kinda going with what seems right as I type. I am going to torment Law on and off throughout this fic, but it will turn out all right in the end for him and Roci, if people happen to get concerned later on when I am a terrible person once more.

I'm thinking perhaps I should have put the genre as angst/hurt/comfort, because this fic is going to have fluff, but not as prevalent as it was in the first fic. Since this fic is going to definitely be angst ridden at times. I didn't think I'd update so soon, but then again, I never known when I'll have the motivation to type, and apparently it was a good editing day, so you guys get a slightly longer chapter today.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I had a sudden need for happy fluff and a tiny amount of smutty-ish (?) things (changed the rating, just in case). As it was going to happen eventually, I decided to have it happen now, before Law went and got harangued by Luffy. Because yes, that was who was going to somehow be wide awake at 6 am to catch Law on his way to work.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Law thought that when he and Rocinante returned home, that they would be going to bed. It was late, after all, and he would need to be up in a few hours, give or take, if he could even find it in himself to go to sleep, the blond haired officer's presence in the room with him or not. But something side tracked them both, and Law knew that it was more of a subconscious gesture for Rocinante, who had been missing his presence for a year.

It had started out small.

The two of them had been walking back to the house, and, as there was no one around, Rocinante had walked closely alongside the dark haired surgeon, and had slipped his hand into one of Law's own. There were no words spoken, but there didn't need to be, because Law knew that if Rocinante had his way, he'd never let go of him until the blond convinced himself that Law wasn't about to disappear from his sight should he happen to let go and look away.

The silence had continued all of the way back to the house, and by the time Law was unlocking the front door, he all but had Rocinante up against his side, as if the other man wanted to desperately engulf him in a breath stealing hug but could not do so while walking. Law felt Rocinante's breath ghost over the side of his neck as the door opened, and the surgeon spoke up in a wry tone.

"I thought you said that I should get some rest?" Law heard the blond take a step back, while he himself went inside the house. He was sure that Rocinante would follow along after him. "We'll have time in the evening tomorrow...later today...to...be with one another. I..." Law trailed off for a moment, before he continued, a little embarrassed to admit some things aloud, such as wanting to touch the blond. The surgeon instead went with a safer thing to let the other man know how he felt.

"I missed you." Law heard an intake of breath and decided that Rocinante knew him well enough to know what his intended answer had been. And the surgeon knew this because the blond said nothing as he entered the house and shut the door.

And locked it.

Law appreciated the gesture, even if he highly doubted someone would want to break in, as most people had no idea where he had moved to since the last time. Maybe people thought he was now dead, from the roughing up he'd received and the way he'd been left to left to die the last time he left a town or city.

"Are you tired, Law?"

It was said in a very bland way, as if Rocinante were trying to gage something. What that was, Law wasn't entirely certain, but he answered nonetheless.

"Not overly. Why do you ask?"

Rocinante didn't say anything to that. He decided to show Law instead.

Law had thought that Rocinante had been serious about him getting some sleep upon his return to his home at the edge of town. The blond haired officer's actions in that moment, however, stated otherwise, and Law wasn't exactly sure what to think about what was now going on.

Because Rocinante had just moved around him to kiss, leaning over a little in order to do so, and that was very nice, and very, very distracting, as it had become the longer they'd been together. But since Law was being kissed, it wasn't all that bad. In fact, he felt that he needed Rocinante's kisses right then, because after the brief emotional rollarcoaster with Kureha and the townspeople and unable to hold his emotions in check, Law needed the distraction.

Needed the love and reassurance that Rocinante was silently offering to give to him.

Law wasn't one to be overly affectionate in front of other people, and still had trouble even when alone with Rocinante. That didn't mean Law hadn't been trying. Even though the surgeon had been with the blond haired officer for years, it was still difficult to get his feelings across to the other man at times. For Rocinante, it seemed like he needed to know that Law loved him, so he was always saying it to him, in hopes that Law would say something similar in sentiment. And Rocinante would always get a genuinely happy smile on his face whenever Law did happen to return those words.

I love you.

Three simple words that seemed relatively easy to say, even if Law found them hard to get out when it mattered the most to the other man.

Right now, Law felt as if he needed to let Rocinante know that, though how when he was currently being kissed enthusiastically was difficult to ponder. And as Rocinante's hands gently carded through hair on either side of the surgeon's head and then down to his shoulders, Law felt that he ought to say it sooner rather than later, as he had a feeling that he would actually not get very much sleep right now, unless he was exhausted on some way.

Which Rocinante might be more than happy to help him with if it would get him to sleep.

"Cora..." Law managed to mumble between breaths. He felt the blond hesitate, so Law tapped the other man's shoulder to further get his attention. The kiss was abruptly broken, as if Rocinante were concerned he was pushing things. Law didn't think that at all. In fact, the dark haired surgeon thought he might be the one pushing with what he had in mind. Law reached out and absently adjusted the collar of the black feathery jacket that Rocinante wore.

"Law?" The blond haired officer asked warily, as if expecting some negative feedback for some reason or another.

"I love you." Law said it to Rocinante's nose, but figured that the blond would think that he looked him in the eyes. The surgeon waited patiently for the expected tears and they were there, but at the very least they were happy tears.

"I love you too." Rocinante managed to choke out in return, as if struggling with something before he seemed to give in and pivoted around with his hands on Law's shoulders.

Law went with the momentum and gasped into the kiss that Rocinante locked him in, this one more passionate than before, as if the blond didn't know what to do with all the happiness he was currently feeling to hear Law, who was normally neutral in his affections, say something like that. And then Law found himself being backed up against the nearest wall in the entryway of the house, so that Rocinante could get a better hold of him to kiss. And while Rocinante left Law's lips alone, he certainly didn't leave his neck alone, or the sensitive place he'd found out the surgeon had between ear and jaw.

"Love you." Rocinante murmured as he nipped and licked his way from one side of Law's collarbone to the other, where it lingered as the blond worked at one spot in particular.

Law didn't know what it was about this sudden make out that made his body seem to involuntarily react to Rocinante's touch. Perhaps it was because they had been apart for so long that everything seemed heightened, but when Rocinante began to kiss him between ear and jaw, Law was horrified and little bit disturbed that a thin sounding whine emitted from him. Almost unconsciously, really, in reaction to what Rocinante had just done.

And was doing again, as if to drag that sound from him again.

Law managed to reign in any involuntary sounds, but it didn't seem to deter Rocinante in the least bit from trying to find other spots that would elicit a similar response. Large hands slipped up beneath Law's coat and trailed along lightly as Rocinante ducked his head against the side of the dark haired surgeon's neck and spoke breathlessly.

"Can I touch you?"

Rocinante already was, but Law knew that he meant touch him with little or no clothing on. Why he knew that, Law decided not to think about. He was distracting himself, so there was no point in dwelling on it. Law answered in a way that would let Rocinante know he was fine with that.

"Yes, but won't the clothes be in the way?"

Rocinante let out a little groan and sagged against the wall and in turn, Law, breathing out a string of incoherent words into one of the surgeon's ears.

Law absently patted the blond's back with a hand as he waited for the other man's response. The dark haired surgeon had had a lot of time in the past year to dwell on the physical side of his and Rocinante's relationship, and as he had been able to, more or less, put the unfortunate memories from the cabin for the most part, it meant that he was more open to Rocinante's advances.

So long as they didn't immediately jump straight to sex.

Law was fine with doing that at some point, but not after being a apart for a year. He'd rather mentally ease himself back into that frame of mind necessary for those activities, but anything else he was fine with. Because being there in the house with Rocinante and having the man in front of him made Law's minds stray to dangerous areas. Such as wanting to touch Rocinante's bare skin. Press himself up against Rocinante as closely as he could, so that he could better feel him and the blond could get a better feel in return.

"Law." Rocinante's voice was more of a groan of frustration than anything else, as if he thought that Law were teasing him.

The surgeon wasn't.

He wouldn't be that rude to someone he hadn't seen in a year with whom he had an intimate relationship with. So Law merely moved Rocinante's hands out from beneath his jacket and shirt, and made quick work of removing them before the blond got his hands back on him. Law paused when he'd stripped down to the tank top, as if just remembering that Rocinante hadn't seen his bare body since he'd been injured several times, and in more than the one attempt to end his life. None of them had been successful, but that didn't mean the scars from the attempts were gone.

Rocinante didn't seem to be thinking about that as he was too busy removing his own clothes as if just taking hold of Law's meaning about clothes being in the way. The blond promptly got caught halfway out of his pants, and Law couldn't do anything to prevent him from falling over.

It did, however, present Law with a very nice view of an uncovered ass, which he took time to appreciate as Rocinante had also caught himself in his sweater. Law was feeling more lighthearted than usual, so that meant he did something he normally wouldn't have done. But it was safe enough to act on, because Rocinante was otherwise occupied and couldn't do anything in return. At least, not until he freed himself or Law decided to take pity on him and help him.

Law's eyes slid lazily over that upturned butt and decided to have some fun. He was sure Rocinante wouldn't mind, and even as the surgeon dropped down to his knees next to Rocinante, he knew that the blond would get revenge in return for what he was about to do. And before Law decided to chicken out, he reached out and tugged Rocinante's pants off the rest of he way, and gave the rest of the exposed skin a once over as Rocinante shifted with an intake of air.

"Law?"

The surgeon felt as though the blond sounded hopeful that he'd do the same for his sweater, but, with a smirk, Law decided to so something else first. He gave the skin a light slap, and couldn't help but do it again at the spluttered sound that came from the blond from his actions.

Embarrassed yet curious as hell as to why Law had slapped his ass.

The dark haired surgeon then preceded to give a squeeze to the cheeks in retaliation to what Rocinante had done the last time they had had sex. Law hadn't thought it very fair to have gotten that blow job while having his ass fondled, even if it had felt nice.

And the fact that Rociante was making such fascinating sounds from being touched in this manner made it harder to leave the skin alone and help the blond out of the sweater.

Law wondered why he hadn't read something to the effect in those books he'd been reading. Perhaps he'd consult them some time after he'd settled into a new work routine and got used to living with another person again.

The surgeon had no idea that Rocinante was slowly working the sweater off, as difficult as it was and made even harder due to his ass being casually groped.

-x-

Rocinante was, to say the least, shocked at the turn of events.

And yet he was happy at the same time.

Very, very happy.

He also happened to be getting rather aroused, and the more those hands touched him, the more turned on he became to the point that Rocinante had to get himself out of the sweater. Get the article of clothing he'd foolishly gotten himself caught in, so that he could wrap Law in a tight hug and kiss him again. Where Rocinante would kiss him depended on where he'd be able to wrap himself around Law. Right now, his fidgeting put him at either jacking off while kissing Law full on the lips, or he would be making love to the surgeon's other head, which he wasn't sure if Law would appreciate. Rocinante was unable to see at the moment if the surgeon was as turned on as he was. That made it difficult for the blond mind to decide on a course of action.

"Are you going to be all right getting that off of you?" Law asked vaguely, as if his mind were on other things.

Rocinante was concerned he wasn't able to discern whether the surgeon meant the sweater or his hands. And the blond knew the tone Law had spoken in, or at least, had a fairly good idea what Law had his mind on, and renewed his attempt at ridding himself of the sweater. Being apart for a year made Rocinante wonder if Law would be even considering giving blow jobs, but from his voice, he was likely considering it. It was detached enough to be something of the sort. Rocinante got one arm out, but not before Law's hands gave his ass another squeeze. The blond squirmed in response, but he bit back whatever other sound might have come out of him.

"I'll be fine." Rocinante hedged, as Law gave another inquisitive...caress of sorts, and that was when the blond finally couldn't take it anymore. He'd definitely been apart from Law for too long, and he was worried his control might slip at some point. Though if Law was being this forward, he had to have known how he would react in return. Which meant some heavy handed touching was acceptable. Yet no matter how much he or his body wanted it, Rocinante doubted full on sex was on the table at this point in time. Perhaps sometime later, but it did seem like, from Law's actions right now, that anything else was perfectly fine.

And Rocinante wanted to touch Law. Wanted to touch him badly. Wanted to touch him and be close to him ever since he'd disappeared from home. And now he finally could.

With one last twist, Rocinante managed to rid himself of the sweater at the same time Law's hands slid away. Rocinante moved then, and felt he had taken both of them by surprise by moving so quickly. Rocinante had Law flat on his back in seconds and was kissing him so enthusiastically he felt he might forget himself. But the blond haired man reined himself in, and broke the kiss to breathe heavily, trying to catch his breath. Rocinante smiled brightly down at Law, who was staring up at him with the same vague, detached interest he'd heard in the surgeon's voice before.

"And what was that for?" Rocinante asked calmly, one hand reaching down and hooking into the side of Law's pants to give them a slight tug. "You've never done that before. At least, not to that extent."

"I wanted to see if there were more scars? And there were." Law breathed in reply, as if distracted by the way that Rocinante was looming over him before he added. "To see what it felt like. It has been...a year..." The surgeon trailed off.

"Hmm." Rocinante hummed as he tugged those tight jeans down and gently trailed his hands along either side of Law's waist, before he reached around and copped a feel of brief covered cheeks. The blond smiled at the sight of Law shifting and looking anywhere but him. "Do you not want me to touch you there?"

"No." Law said, and before Rocinante could think to be disappointed, he added, with a faint tinge to his cheeks. "Not with my briefs still on."

Rocinante hesitated only a moment before he leaned over and kissed Law again as he tugged the aforementioned briefs off without even really thinking about it.

"And now?" Rocinante asked, hands moving to either side of Law's head to hold himself up.

"I want you to touch me." Came the near quiet response, certain and free of doubt.

Rocinante did a quick peek down and confirmed that, unlike before, Law seemed to be as turned on as he was, and presumed it was because they'd been apart for so long. Phone sex really was not at all satisfying, even if Law was more comfortable with dirty talk over the phone for some reason. Rocinante felt a shiver run through him at the very thought, and wondered if Law would ever do that face to face instead of over the phone. But the blond haired man decided, now that he was thinking a little more clearly, that he wouldn't push for too much tonight. He wanted Law to get some sleep after all, and if he could tire him out enough, he'd be able to get the surgeon to bed and take care of himself in the bathroom before joining him.

"Cora?" Law questioned, his voice still quiet and rather distant.

Rocinante returned his gaze to the golden one staring up at him calmly, before he leaned back and offered a small smile. Then, without warning, the blond haired officer abruptly moved down along Law's body and had Law in his mouth before the surgeon could really react to the action. While the floor of the front entry way of the house was likely not too comfortable, Rocinante was quick to compensate for that by distracting the surgeon.

By getting his hands on his ass and giving it a light squeeze, as Law had done to him moments before.

Rocinante recalled when he'd done it back at their home, and Law had seemed more sensitive to his touch that time around, and it appeared to be true this time around as well. Law remained flat on his back and issued sounds that he likely wouldn't remember making, and Rocinante, as much as he'd have liked a hand around himself, focused on the surgeon. He wanted to wear the other man out as much as possible, because he knew that Law always seemed to have a hard time falling asleep. And the surgeon ought to have had even more trouble this past year with what little of the troubles that he'd heard from Law thus far.

And with that thought came another one. He wanted to look at Law's skin for the supposed scars from being hurt while being driven out of cities and towns on occasion. But he doubted Law would be compliant without making some excuse over it, so Rocinante sucked at the surgeon harder and hummed something. But before those questions were brought up, he was going to blow Law's mind, figuratively as well as literally, and from the sound of it, the surgeon did not mind that in the least bit. And when he felt that Law was close, he gave the surgeon's ass a firm squeeze with both hands, and that was it for Law holding out any longer.

Rocinante drew back and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth absently, and couldn't help but offer a mischievous smile in response to the surgeon's splayed out form. He looked very tasty all sprawled out with his chest heaving from exertion and at that thought, Rocinante decided that while he looked for those supposed scars that he'd get a taste at the same time.

In the form of kisses, of course.

Rocinante, smiling to himself, gave the inside of Law's thigh a kiss, which drew a tired murmur from the surgeon. Rocinante moved up, nosing along the skin as he left kisses along the way as he inspected skin with both his lips and hands. The first few scars he came across were on the surgeon's abdomen, and that didn't seem too bad, for what Rocinante had been fearing to see. There were traces of faint bruising the further up Law's chest Rocinante got, which seemed to be weeks old. After giving the surgeon's arms and legs a once over, Rocinante pecked Law on the cheek.

And flipped him over onto his stomach.

Law, despite being exhausted and spent, didn't like it and immediately tried to turn back over with a displeased grumble.

"I'm just looking." Rocinante rested a hand on Law's head and ruffled his hair. "And kissing." The blond admitted, as, after seeing the back of Law's legs unmarred by any scars, unlike his own, Rocinante leaned over and began to leave kisses along Law's spine. The blond felt Law shiver and shift slightly, and then still when he got to the surgeon's upper back. Rocinante drew away at that, and what he saw made him let out a choked sound, his own state of arousal out of mind abruptly at the sight.

Law had said scars; he hadn't said how many, or the fact that it looked like someone had had fun whipping the upper to middle of his back enough times to leave marks behind.

"Law?" Rocinante asked faintly, as he reached out with a shaky hand to trace the skin with his fingertips. He wondered, in that moment, how much else Law was keeping to himself, and out of concern for his feelings. But the blond haired man felt that this was not something the surgeon needed to keep to himself. Rocinante wanted to help him in any way that he could, but he couldn't do that if Law didn't tell him what he could do to help.

"Law? What happened?"

'And why wouldn't you have told me' was left out as Rocinante waited to see if he would get a response from the surgeon.

-x-

In the haze following the orgasm that he'd experienced, Law had thought nothing of Rocinante exploring his skin other than he ought to do it some more as it was helping him drift off. But as soon as the surgeon remembered what the blond would find on his back, it was too late to prevent the scars from being discovered. And the hurt in Rocinante's voice compelled him to provide a response, even if Law didn't want to upset the other man.

"I said some people weren't as nice as others when I was asked or driven out of wherever I was trying to get a job." Law said humorlessly. He was still feeling sated, but when Rocinante wordlessly scooped him up and carried him to the bedroom, without tripping or dropping him, Law added. "I did tell you I had scars."

"But not how you got them." Rocinante said faintly as he settled himself and the surgeon on the bed.

"It's not something I wish to dwell on now that it's passed." Law curled up against Rocinante as the blond's nearest arm draped over his waist protectively. "And as to what left the scars on my back, there isn't much to say, as it should be obvious."

"Why would someone whip you?"

Law wondered why Rocinante didn't see that in other people's eyes, he was a person who got away with murder. Not someone who had not had much of a choice in the matter. Law figured that because Rocinante was head over heels in love with him that he didn't see it, because he was too close to the surgeon to even give it thought.

But Law knew, and so did his roommates, Shachi and Penguin. The surgeon was grateful that neither of them seemed to have clued Rocinante in to how much danger he could have been, and had been, in. Law had a feeling that the blond haired officer would have torn down cities and towns to prevent harm from coming to him, even if it would have gotten him into trouble as well.

"Law?"

"Because they think I'm a killer?" Law supplied, knowing he sounded rather sarcastic then. He felt the arm tighten around his waist.

"You aren't." Rocinante insisted.

"But mot people don't care for specifics, so it's no use trying to deny it when no one will listen to you." Law closed his eyes as Rocinante pressed a kiss to the top of his head but didn't say anything.

"You should get some rest." Rocinante said, even if it seemed like he had wanted to press further.

Law appreciated the following silence but for the sound of his and Rocinante's breathing. The last coherent thought was the question of why Rocinante had abruptly cut off any further questioning. And then Law was out, sleep welcome because it did not involve anything but a dreamless sleep this time around.

-x-

The following morning Law awoke, and, after cleaning himself up and getting changed, he sat next to the chair to stare at Rocinante's sleeping face. And decided he would keep quiet on some things, for now, as being whipped was rather tame considering some of the things he'd gone through. With that unpleasant thought, and one last look at Rocinante's slumbering form, Law left the house quietly and made his way to town.

But as soon as he entered the town square and saw a grin aimed his way like a heat seeking missile, Law wished he'd have remained in the house a bit longer. One very awake and cheerful Monkey D. Luffy was not something that Law cared to have to deal with at such an early time, and it seemed he had no choice in the matter, as the teen headed right in his direction.

Cursed.

He was cursed.

Wherever the surgeon went, there was always something that would ruin his relatively good mood.

But with Rocinante there with him, Law figured he could get through it, as dealing with an irritating teen was nothing compared to what he'd been through this past year. He could handle being harassed by someone overly cheerful and clearly happy to see him, for one reason or another. At least, Law hoped he could handle things, otherwise he was going to go straight back home, his new job be damned. Even if he had an unnerving feeling that Kureha would be more than willing to find a way for him to get his sorry ass to the clinic. The older doctor just seemed like a person one should not cross.

Yet overly happy people, excluding Rocinante, got on Law's nerves very quickly, and especially so in the morning without any caffeine in his system. The dark haired surgeon figured he's just have to do what he could, and hope for the best. And hope that Kureha had an espresso machine, because as soon as Luffy started to talk, Law knew for a fact that he would need a massive amount of caffeine to get through the day without strangling someone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Nanowrimo exhausted me, but I wanted to update this fic because the fluffy parts of it cheer me up. Also, the other stories are being difficult to work out.

I'm still planning on doing the opbigbang (but that will get those of you who like Kidlaw/Lawkid fics a completed story in April) so expect sparse updates for this fic and others.


	5. Chapter 5

Law recoiled as if he had been burned when Luffy suddenly bounded into his personal space with a massive smile. It was as if the younger teen was pleased that he had been able to locate the dark haired surgeon. Law didn't like it; it made him feel decidedly uncomfortable to think that someone he didn't really know would want to see him.

Or find him, for that matter. In regards to Rocinante, Law understood why the blond haired officer had come after him, but Luffy? Why would he bother? It wasn't like he really knew the surgeon or anything. And more importantly…how in the hell had Luffy even found…?

Law relaxed fractionally. Of course, Chopper. The younger teenaged doctor had mentioned that he was friends with Luffy. But that then led the surgeon to wonder how Chopper had known he was there.

Had Kureha called Chopper or vice versa? Even if the older doctor had, that didn't explain how Luffy had found him so quickly.

But Luffy suddenly being closer brought Law's attention to the teen, his body slightly tensed as if to run if Luffy so much as made any indication that he wanted to give him anything that resembled a hug.

Law didn't do hugs.

Well, the dark haired surgeon did, but only with Rocinante, and that was completely different because Law _wanted_ the blond to touch him. On that note, Law prompted dashed it from his mind, because it made the guilt of being apart from Rocinante for so long resurface. And the surgeon did not want to dwell on the image of the blond being lonely, because it made the guilt even worse.

"Hey, Law!"

The dark haired surgeon very much looked like the murderer people thought he was with the way he was glaring at Luffy. The teen clearly didn't notice as he continued to yammer away, not seeming to notice Law's narrowed eyes or the way he had grit his teeth.

It was far too early in the morning for this.

"So Chopper said you were living near where he grew up, and he also said that Usopp heard last night that that old lady doctor was going to let you work at her clinic." Luffy continued with a great big smile in the face of Law's stone faced silence. "Usopp said that before you go in for work that there was someone he wanted you to meet and-"

"Who is Usopp?" Law asked in a flat tone. He really was not awake enough to be dealing with anyone so loud and talkative this early in the morning. It was a marvel that the teen was even awake, to be honest, when Law figured most teenagers loved to sleep whenever and however long they could manage.

"Oh, he's my friend too." Luffy brightened, and it seemed damn near impossible for someone to be so happy.

Law twitched. The teen sure had a lot of friends, and the surgeon grumpily wondered why Luffy insisted on having his friends intrude upon his life. He already had Shachi and Penguin. And Rocinante. That was more than enough, including other acquaintances he saw now and again, like Bepo and Jean Bart.

"So anyway, Usopp said you should stop by the house over there." Luffy pointed it out.

"Fine." Law said shortly, if only because he very much wanted to get away from Luffy. But the idea of meeting more enthusiastic people, presumably, Law needed to do something first, whether or not it made him late. "I forgot something at the house, but I will go there afterward." Law indicated the house Luffy had pointed out to show that he knew which it was.

Luffy seemed none the wiser to Law's escape as he waved the surgeon off as the teen ran to the other house. "See you soon!"

Law inwardly groaned at having to put up with Luffy longer than was necessary, so he did as he said he would and went back through the wooded area to his house.

He needed caffeine, and he needed it now.

Kureha could break down the door if she wished, but Law wasn't leaving his house until he was properly awake and caffeinated so that he didn't try to murder Luffy and his optimism.

-x

Law was a good deal more relaxed as he sank into a kitchen chair with the lifesaving aroma of coffee rising from the mug in his hand. And after a few sips of the richly flavored drink, Law let out a soft sigh.

Much better.

The dark haired surgeon absently stared out the nearest window as he drank, and proof to how exhausted he was, Law had forgotten one very important detail. The fact that he was no longer alone in the house. It was something that he found out between one sip of coffee and the next.

Long limbs wrapped lightly around the surgeon from behind as a warm body leaned up against him and held on tight.

Law stilled.

Rocinante.

How could he have already forgotten that the man was still there after last night, and seeing him sleeping this morning?

"I see you wanted to have some coffee before you go." Rocinante's voice was still low and rough from sleep, though he managed to sound happy all the same. He certainly snuggled closer against Law's back, in any case.

Law made some noncommittal grunt in the back of his throat and drank more coffee. He did, however, raise his free hand to lightly trace one of the blond haired officer's arms.

"Good morning to you too." Rocinante said in amusement.

"You're up early." Law commented, seeing the time over the stove reading 6:15 AM. "You should go back to bed and get some more sleep." The surgeon felt Rocinante sag against his back. Law didn't know how much further the blond could go before they were in danger of overbalancing and falling to the floor of the kitchen.

"But I won't get to see you until later if I do go back to sleep." The blond's voice dropped lower as Rocinante rested his head on Law's shoulder in order to lay a light kiss against the side of Law's neck.

"I'm not going to go that far." Law held the mug of coffee with both hands lest the blond's soft kisses made him lose his grip. "And I'll be home for dinner, most likely. I can't imagine you being busy any later than that either."

"But I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming last night." Rocinante responded, as he let go of Law reluctantly and moved around so that he could kneel on the ground in front of the dark haired surgeon and stare up at him.

"I can assure you right now that it wasn't." Law took a sip of coffee to hide what could have been a faint blush over the fact that Rocinante was giving him a very loving look, as if he couldn't get over the fact that he was actually there right in front of him. "I'm right here, aren't I?"

"I know you are." The blond haired officer agreed. "I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't wake up and find you by my side." Rocinante rested a hand on Law's left knee, fingertips absently tracing along.

"And what would you have done if you had?" Law asked curiously. The dark haired surgeon's voice was devoid of inflection as he drank some more of his coffee. He was almost out by now and the coffee pot seemed very far away now that Rocinante was in the room with him. "Kissed me, most likely." Law felt what he said might have been considered teasing, because he suddenly found himself without his coffee mug as the blond had plucked it from his hands to set on the ground. And then Law had a very happy, friendly blond scoot closer to him so that he could rest his head on his lap . Law stared down at the mess of blond hair before inwardly shrugging to himself at Rocniante's behavior as he reached out and ran a hand through that hair. Law couldn't help but shiver slightly as the motion caused Rocinante to let out a soft sigh of pleasure. "Cora?"

No answer came forth.

They stayed like that for a time, with no words passing between them, before Law let out a gasp of surprise when Rocinante suddenly seized his hands and pulled him backward onto the floor of the kitchen. Law managed to reach out fast enough to shove the mug further away on the floor before Rocinante knocked it over with his head. That accomplished, the dark haired surgeon stared down at the blond with a faint frown. "What are you doing?" Law grudgingly allowed Rocinante to urge him to rest on top of him, the surgeon refused to call it straddling. Law sighed when Rocinante leaned up and began to nuzzle along the side of his throat.

The two of them had definitely been apart for too long, if the blond had trouble keeping his hands to himself. Not that Law minded Rocinante touching him, especially after what he'd been through in the past year. Friendly touches were much more welcome than the heavy handed responses the surgeon normally received when someone learned who he was.

"Cora?" Law ventured when he felt the silence stretched for too long.

A hand lightly traced a hip before settling over it in question.

Law considered the offer, and then decided that he as very much not aroused. There wasn't even a hint of an erection, even if Rocinante was breathing against the side of his neck with slightly accelerated breathing.

"Law?" The blond's voice was curious.

"I'm not really in the mood." Law said honestly, knowing better than to try and fool Rocinante into thinking he was. "There is a distinct lack of an erection. I rather doubt I can get hard at all today. Remember, I have had a rather trying year, so there's even less of a drive than usual."

There was a sharp breath, and then a low, apologetic sound.

Law felt Rocinante try to ease out from beneath him, and turned his head in time to see the guilty look that crossed Rocinante's face. The dark haired surgeon settled over the blond's waist, a thought coming to mind despite the fact he hadn't thought of doing a blow job in some time, due to some unfortunate incidents when he was away from those he cared about. Rocinante's expression made Law decide that he would make the blond happy before he headed to the house near the clinic. It would be a good distraction, so that the blond haired officer didn't ask why his sexual drive was even lower than it normally was. The lash marks across his back hadn't been there at the time, as that was a more isolated incident of hate that someone had whipped him. When it came to other forms of retaliation against him...those Law chose to shut out and not dwell upon. So he focused his attention on the blond he was sitting on, who was currently in the middle of making some apology.

"I'm sorry, Law, I-" Rocinante stuttered to a stop when the surgeon suddenly smirked at him.

Law made note that him making such an expression still happened to do a good job of silencing the other man.

The blond haired officer made a rather thin sound when Law proceeded to make short work of his pants and boxers, wearing a familiar detached expression. "Ah, you do…don't have to do that, Law."

Law settled between Rocinante's legs, and, after he peeked up at the blond and noticed the struggle between lust and concern, the surgeon decided that it really had been too long since the two of them had been together. Law kept his eyes locked on Rocinante's before he brought himself lower and gave a light, teasing kiss to the tip.

The blond haired officer's head thunked onto the ground dangerously close to the coffee mug as he let out a thin sound and some form of protest in favor of the surgeon's state of mind. That since they'd been apart, he didn't need to immediately jump straight into the sexual things so soon. Especially if he didn't want to or wasn't ready for it.

Law shifted, one tattooed hand resting on the blond's thigh in response. While the dark haired surgeon most certainly wasn't ready to have any sex in the foreseeable future, he most certainly could handle this kind of thing. After all, Law didn't have any residual panic he may have felt some months ago, so this should be fine. And despite Rocinante's halfhearted, mumbled attempt to talk him out of this, Law was ready to continue to give the blond attention.

And that was when his phone decided to ring.

Instead of answering it, Law ignored it and despite Rocniante's protests that he could stop and go get answer the call, Law wouldn't. In fact, Law had more or less tuned out the blond's words, satisfied when the phone stopped ringing. Good. No more interruptions. The dark haired surgeon found, however, that there was another reason for the phone not ringing again. It happened partway through Law giving Rocinante a very thorough, if clinical and rather detached blow job.

A heavy hammering sounded against the front door, accompanied by a voice.

"Hey, that old lady doctor said to get your butt over to the clinic. She said you can meet the person there instead of at Usopp's!"

Law froze, feeling dread when he realized that it was Luffy's voice hailing him, and then grew further horrified because he hadn't locked the front door. Law hastily removed his mouth from Rocinante and flopped over the blond haired man's waist to hide the evidence of what they were doing because Law knew one thing for certain.

Luffy didn't respect boundaries and would find him. Even after a year of not seeing the teenager, Law knew that wouldn't have changed. And the surgeon was proven correct.

A moment later and the front door slammed opened, accompanied by Luffy's voice assailing them more loudly.

"Are you here?" The annoying voice was followed by an equally annoying body, and Luffy was grinning like he did a good job of finding Law. The teenager didn't seem off put by the fact that Law was lying over Rocinante's waist on the floor, and the blond himself was fidgeting and blushing like he'd been caught red handed doing something lewd.

Which, technically, was true.

"I said I will be there shortly." Law said firmly, glaring out of the corner of his eyes at Luffy. "What part of that didn't you understand?"

"Oh, and you're supposed to meet someone at the clinic before you do anything there." Luffy said, not listening to the surgeon at all. And as suddenly as he had shown, Luffy was gone.

There was a long, awkward silence during which Law refused to move at all. And in doing so, Rocinante relaxed enough to start running his hands through the surgeon's hair.

"Are you all right?" The blond haired officer's voice was soft and quiet, as if he wasn't sure if the teenager had left the house yet.

"I am." Law said, his expression reflecting confusion. "I did not think he would show up just like that. I wasn't gone for very long."

"I meant this." Rocinante fidgeted as he indicated that he was very much still aroused and the fact that Law was lying over him was making him more aware of it. "If you need to go, I can-"

Law blinked, and then flushed a little himself because he felt Rocinante's erection bumping his own through his pants, even if Law himself was not at all hard.

Rocinante clearly saw the look of detachment come over Law's face again, and tried to maneuver the surgeon off of his lap. "You need to go, don't you?" It was clear the blond didn't want him to go but all the same knew that work would be good for Law.

"Hm, I will." Law hesitated before he maneuvered himself up to above Rocinante's waist and braced himself against the floor, one hand near the blond's shoulder. Law used his other hand to wrap around the blond, who let out a gasp. The surgeon further distracted himself by kissing Rocinante, and when he felt the other eventually go limp from his touch, Law let go and offered a hint of a smile at the blond's flushed face. "Better?"

Rocinante turned onto his side and hid his face behind his hands, embarrassed for whatever reason for Law doing both a partial blowjob and then finishing with a hand job.

Law cleaned up in the bathroom, and when he came out, he ran straight into Rocinante, who enveloped him in a hug and leaned over to nuzzle his cheek against him.

"You always surprise me." The blond haired officer said in a low murmur. "Just when I think I have you figured out."

"The feeling is mutual." The dark haired surgeon sagged into the hug automatically, before he drew away with a reluctant sigh. "I better go before Luffy shows up again and drags me to the clinic."

Rocinante laughed at the way the other man made it sound like the worst possible thing that could happen to him that day. "I'll see you later then?"

"Yes. I do live here, you know." Law returned with some humor back in his voice and in his eyes. The surgeon briefly lingered in the kitchen before leaving the house, carrying a large thermos of coffee to go.

-x

Rocinante couldn't help but smile as the door to the front door shut. No matter how much or how long Law was around other people, he still seemed to retain some anti-social tendencies, as evidenced by the put upon face the surgeon wore as he exited the house. Rocinante watched Law disappear down the path to the small town, before he settled down on the couch and smiled. If this was a dream, he didn't want it to end. Not when Rocinante had finally found Law again. And this time, the surgeon was not running off to another city or town.

Just the thought of what could have happened to the surgeon when he hadn't been around. And those scars on Law's body said a lot about what kind of trauma he'd been through while away.

Rocinante didn't like the thought of someone harming Law. And when the dark haired surgeon had told him about the attempted homicide…

The officer's phone ringing took that dark thought away, and Rocinante hastily fumbled for the phone. It would either be Dalton letting him know when to come in, or one of Law's friends, Penguin or Shachi, asking for an update. And as luck would have it, Rocinante managed to drop his phone the moment he got it in his hand. The blond went after it, tripped on his own feet, and ended up sprawled on his stomach the living room floor. But at the very least he answered the phone before it stopped ringing.

"Hello?" Rocinante asked, easing himself up into a seated position.

' _I'm guessing that you found Law before he could leave this time, since you didn't answer your phone last night?'_ Penguin's voice sounded guarded, as if he couldn't believe that the blond haired officer could have pinned the surgeon down.

"I did." Rocinante tried and failed to get that image out of his head. The blond most certainly would have flopped over Law in some way and refused to move if the surgeon even so much as made the indication that he was going to try and leave again.

Without him.

' _Rocinante?'_ Penguin's voice was sharp, indicating that the other man had said something and the blond hadn't heard.

"Sorry, what was that?" Rocinante focused on the call. He could dwell on Law later. In fact, he could probably manage to cuddle with the man later tonight, and that he was very much looking forward to. The blond haired officer really had missed waking up with Law there in bed with him, or even to find him somewhere in the room, awake and drinking coffee.

' _I asked if Law was all right.'_ Penguin said.

"He is now." Rocinante hesitated, before deciding the other man would find out from Law or someone else about his year on the run, which was what it basically amounted to. "He had some trouble when he was trying to find a job. Some people hurt him, and it sounds like some even tried to kill him. That's why he didn't answer for two weeks that one time. He was hurt and in the middle of nowhere."

Penguin sucked in a sharp breath on the other end of the line. _'And now?'_

"He seems to be all right. Someone offered him a job in this town." Rocinante said.

' _That's good. He does love working. It probably drove him crazy not to for so long.'_ Penguin sighed. _'Keep me and Shachi updated? Maybe we'll come visit if he stays in one place_.'

"Seeing as I transferred here, I'm going to try and make sure that he does." Rocinante replied. He ended the call not too long after, and after a glance at the clock, decided he ought to get ready for work.

-x

What Law expected when he walked through the door to the clinic was not at all what he had anticipated. What the surgeon had thought would be a lecture of sorts from Kureha, but instead, he was met with a smile from Kaya, one of the nurses that he had worked with numerous times before.

"Dr. Trafalgar. It's good to see you." Kaya smiled at the surprise that Law managed to covey with a slight shift in his posture. "Chopper said that you have had trouble finding a job, and then Usopp told me yesterday that you were going to work here in town." Kaya indicated a house outside the clinic. "I come for visits sometimes, but Usopp has a spare bedroom I can use."

Law figured he knew what was coming and asked anyway. "Aren't you working in the city still?"

"I quit. I didn't like all of the gossiping people were doing about you. Belittling your work even though they know for a fact you were one of their top trauma surgeons." Kaya shook her head. "You helped a lot of patients with your skills as a surgeon. You should be able to do your job without someone breathing down your neck, expecting you to hurt the patients in some way. And for something you had no choice but to do. It doesn't seem fair, especially since you were found not guilty. So Kureha is letting me work here too to help you out."

"Most procedures will go off without a hitch." Law wasn't protesting so much as trying to wrap his head around the idea of someone leaving a job for something that likely paid less. But he hadn't realized how much Kaya had been paying attention to his little quirks.

"Chopper said you do better with people you've worked with in the past. And since I know your methods, I can get you what you need and let you work. I know you love your job, so it'll be easier for you to focus if you work with someone you know." Kaya nodded to another room across the hall. "Kureha was going to show me around. I'll see you later?" Seeing a nod, the young woman offered another smile before leaving.

Law had to go sit down and absently drink gulps of his coffee from his thermos to offset the strange idea of someone actually giving a damn about how he worked in surgeries, and cared enough to disrupt their own life to help him. That Kaya knew about how he preferred to work with people he had before, and could get along with, for the most part, in order to get the job done effectively and efficiently with minimal risk to the patient. The dark haired surgeon hastily covered his eyes with a hand. It wouldn't do to have someone walk by and glimpse him showing emotion.

It was proof of just how much of a toll the past year of his life had been on him, that it had been terrible to the point that Law had finally realized that he had never properly appreciated the good that had been in his life before. And the dark haired surgeon hadn't realized just how much the thought of it all affected him that he was in that room alone for over an hour dwelling on it.

Until Kureha came in the room and chased him into the main room of the clinic that was used for surgery.

With a scalpel in hand, as if to urge him to move his ass faster.

Law moved very quickly at that, a hint of a memory surfacing, but all the same realizing that there was someone injured that had just been brought in to the clinic. The dark haired surgeon worked with Kureha and Kaya automatically after that, but Law wasn't too far gone in his own mind to not see that the wounds on the patient that had been brought in looked almost exactly the same as the ones Dalton had suffered.

And the more Law worked to prevent the patient from dying from their wounds, the more the surgeon noticed and came to an uneasy conclusion. The wounds were exactly the same as the ones suffered by Dalton, including their placement. It was something that Law didn't want to dwell on but at the same time couldn't help but wonder.

Was there someone in the town, or in the surrounding wilderness, that knew about him? Law knew from Kureha that there weren't too many injuries that usually required intensive surgery, but two people within a day and a half were suspicious.

Law didn't believe in coincidences, and knew he would have to voice his concerns to Rocinante later that night. What he thought the blond could do, Law wasn't sure. But what the dark haired surgeon did know was that there was no way that Rocinante was going to let him slip away from him now that he had found him Law didn't want to leave either, because he might, just might, be able to piece his life back together in that small town.

Another two people being brought in injured hours later with exactly the same injuries as the second man and Dalton put things past coincidence. By the time the surgeon left the town clinic, Law's nerves had frayed to the point that he nearly ran home as if he expected the culprits behind those injuries to go after him next.

No one jumped out at the dark haired surgeon as he got back to the house, but Rocinante obviously picked up that something was wrong. There was no way the blond couldn't not notice; not with the way Law not only locked the front door, but went around checking any and all entrances to the home, including the windows, to make sure everything was secure.

And when Rocinante finally cornered Law in the living room and wrestled him gently to the couch so that he could hold onto him, the dark haired surgeon knew he couldn't avoid another discussion. It was about something that had happened about a month before he'd been left for dead in the middle of nowhere.

"Law? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Cora." Law took a breath when Rocinante pulled back just enough to make eye contact with him but didn't let go of him completely. "Have you heard of Baroque Works?"

From the stiffening of the blond's posture and the hardening of his gaze, Rocinante recognized and knew the name all right. And the duel look of concern and anger on the other man's face was hard to look at, so Law dropped his gaze, not wanting to think that anger was directed at him.

"Why do you ask?" Rocinante questioned in a rather guarded way, even as he hugged Law to his chest.

"Because there were three other people in the clinic today with wounds that looked exactly like Dalton's." Law said, completely emotionless. "And I think I know who did it."

From the way Rocinante let go of him completely to face him on the couch, Law knew for sure he was going to have to explain. Because it wasn't as bad as the blond seemed to think it was. It wasn't like Law had _known_ that he had helped at a clinic run by Baroque Works. But they apparently didn't appreciate someone as talented as him waltzing off. Though why they would bother following him halfway across the country when Law was being driven off from everywhere else was a question the surgeon had no answer to.

"Law…" Rocinante didn't seem to know how to say what he wanted to. "How do you know about them?"

"I unwittingly worked for them a short time." Law replied. "It was right before I was forced to leave because some people in the area made it known they wished attempted homicide on me."

That had Rocinante curling up against Law again, as if still appalled that anyone would want to physically harm the dark haired surgeon. "Why would those kinds of people be here?"

"I think…" Law paused, thinking the idea ludicrous, but went with it anyway. "I think that two of the people were outsiders from town. Perhaps people intended to try and…take care of me from previous cities and towns I had been to."

"Take care of...you mean people are hiring hit men to try and kill you?" Rocinante sounded horrified by the very idea. "But why would Baroque Works bother stopping someone from getting to you?" The blond haired officer questioned, even as his arms subconsciously wrapped tighter around the surgeon.

"You know why." Law said with a faint, deprecating smile. "Because they obviously liked my work enough to want me to go back to their clinic. Probably offer me protection from any future assassination attempts."

Rocinante let out a sigh and clung to Law like he didn't know what he was going to do with him. Or do for him to make things better.

Law had several ideas of what the blond could do, but kept quiet on them because he was too embarrassed to ask. Not to mention Law wasn't ready for anything overly intimate.

"You should have mentioned those people sooner." Rocinante ventured after a time.

"I know." Law sagged against Rocinante. "But so much has happened; it is getting harder to keep track of it all."

"A crime syndicate that's interested in your skills as a surgeon is something forgettable?" The blond haired officer asked dubiously. "Do you really not realize how amazing your abilities as a surgeon are?"

"It is incredibly difficult to keep track of everything when other people are trying to kill you." Law focused on the former part of the blond's statement. The surgeon didn't know how to accept the latter part, as it was clearly meant as a compliment, from Rocinante, but he didn't have the chance to dwell on it, as Rocinante suddenly had him on his back on the couch.

When the blond haired man kissed him, Law decided that discussion of Baroque Works could wait. The dark haired surgeon needed time to think on it anyway, what with all the explaining that would be needed.

It wasn't by choice Law chose to avoid mentioning that little fact; it was because he didn't want Rocinante to get involved with a crime syndicate of all things. Having to deal with Doflamingo had been hard enough on Rocinante as it was. The surgeon still felt guilt over the fact that the work Doflamingo had forced him to do had caused Rocinante to choose to endure being harassed at work, and even transferring here to the middle of nowhere. There was no way Law wanted him to get caught up in this as well, as there was more than one person this time around that Law had to worry about.

And when there was a heavy knock on the door, Law protested Rocinante answering it, but he knew the taller man would go anyway. The blond's posture stiffened after peeking through the tiny window to see who was on the porch. There was a sharp intake of breath, and the blond's hand immediately went for his belt that had his gun holstered.

Law blinked. He hadn't noticed that Rocinante was still in uniform. A shame, because the surgeon really liked seeing him wearing it. But even the blond being armed was a moot point when Rocinante suddenly swung around to face Law with shock written across his features.

Rocinante also happened to now have his gun out, the blond's finger on the safety.

The surgeon's heart sunk at the implications.

No.

Not again.

It seemed like Rocinante was going to get wrapped up in one of the surgeon's problems again, though Law couldn't help but stare in horror at what Rocinante hissed at him in a low, urgent whisper, as the surgeon didn't exactly expect to hear the name that was spoken.

"Why the hell does Crocodile know where you live?"

Well, that answered Law's question of whether or not Rocinante knew who the Baroque Works leader was. And then the blond's words caught up to him. Law balked, looking at the door as if it were going to be smashed in with a curved hook, and felt only marginally reassured that Rocinante was armed, as this was all so very surreal.

What in the world was going on?

Law took a step closer to Rocinante even as the blond haired officer attempted to urge him back as he reached for the handle of the door, gun held tight in his other hand and ready to be used at a moment's notice. The dark haired surgeon stated at the door unseeingly as his thoughts drifted to another question.

Why was Crocodile of all people on his doorstep so late at night?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: What's this? I've finally gotten around to the plot? :D

I was planning on getting Crocodile into the story somehow and thought this would work best (and fyi, Doflamingo is going to show up, but not to harass Law...more like to annoy Crocodile, with what happened, because yeah, he's not in prison, and that will be explained in the next chapter).

...I'm taking a brief break from revising my opbigbang entry again because I wanted to get in an update for this fic.


	6. Chapter 6

Why a criminal was outside his door so late at night was soon a moot point, because Law was much more concerned about something else. That something being Rocinante getting wrapped up in the dark haired surgeon's problems, and that wasn't what Law wanted. He knew that Rocinante was a police officer and that it was his job to deal with criminals like Crocodile, but Law didn't want the blond getting hurt.

"If Baroque Works was behind injuring those people I treated earlier today, then they already knew where I was staying. There are records in the city hall at the edge of town." Law informed Rocinante wearily, even as he firmly wrapped both of his arms around one of Rocinante's, in order to try and prevent the other man from stepping toward the door. "Don't. What if they have guns? They're not here to kill me. At best they want to recruit me. They liked my surgical skills, remember?"

"I have a gun too, you know." Rocinante said; his voice was a low growl. "No one is taking you anywhere, and especially not someone from a crime syndicate."

"This is a problem of my own making, unintentional though it was." Law refused to let go of Rocinante's arm, because he knew that the blond haired officer would go for his gun. "Don't get yourself injured on my account." Law knew he'd said something wrong when Rocinante briefly left off seizing his gun to give the surgeon a hurt, reproachful look.

"If it means protecting you, I don't care how wounded I become." Rocinante tensed at another knock, took a deep breath, and then carefully freed his arm from Law's grasp. The blond clasped the surgeon's hands in his own and looked the other in the eye. "Law, I couldn't help you at all this past year, and you were hurt because you were all on your own. Please let me help you now."

"…just don't get yourself killed." Law said at length, his shoulders dropping as he let out a slow sigh. He knew it was useless to try and convince Rocinante to stay out of his problems; the blond wanted to make those problems go away for him, if it was within his power. Law knew that Rocinante loved him, but sometimes he wanted the man to think about his own health and well-being. Law knew that he was going to be a paranoid mess for some time, and he hated that Rocinante was willing to put up with it like it hadn't disrupted his life and made him choose to transfer miles and miles away to the middle of nowhere. Law took a shuddering breath, freed his hands, and then closed the distance between himself and the blond to rest his head against Rocinante's chest. "We better open the door before they break it down. I don't think I can afford to repair it at present, an as winter has set in, it would be rather cold."

Law thought Rocinante agreed, because the blond haired man stepped back from him, but it was merely to move to put himself between the surgeon and the door. "Cora, wait, let me answer it." Law wasn't sure if Crocodile would have a weapon or not, but he didn't want to find out with the way that Rocinante putting himself in the way of potential danger. "Cora..."

"No. I'm not making it that easy for them." Rocinante said, one arm lifting up and out to the side as if the blond had sensed Law about to pass him. Rocinante's other hand rested over where his gun was holstered as he quickly stepped forward to open the door. The blond almost instantly stepped back several steps, pushing Law backward as he did.

Law didn't protest, mainly because he was well aware of the fact that when Rocinante got in certain moods there was no way the surgeon could hope to muscle past the man. Usually when Law was in some sort of danger. Miraculously, Rocinante hadn't yet had any of his clumsiness impede him even with those few backward steps, as the blond haired officer was clearly more concerned with the sight of a violet haired man standing in the entryway. Law saw Rocinante tense up, and spoke in a barely there whisper. "What is it?"

"There's someone with him." Rocinante muttered back, before he focused on Crocodile, who didn't seem all that surprised that Law wasn't alone. "What do you want here, Crocodile? I thought you were outside of Sengoku's jurisdiction last I checked. Any reason you decided to come back within those boundaries?"

Crocodile offered a humorless laugh to Rocinante's words, the man's scarred face still completely unperturbed by the sight of a police officer. "I don't have to tell an officer my plans." The violet haired man's eyes fixed on Law. "I'm here to speak to him, not you." Crocodile briefly looked Rocinante over again, and then added. "If you don't move, I'll have someone make you."

Law was about to protest Rocinante going for his gun at that when another man whisked past Crocodile and hit Rocinante hard, causing the blond to drop his gun to the ground with a clatter. Another hard strike sent Rocinante backward against the coat closet, before he collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Law didn't even care that two criminals were in his house as he went to Rocinante's side immediately, instincts as a doctor kicking in, as they usually did, though especially when around Rocinante.

Who, Law found out quickly, was unconscious, and that was why he hadn't risen and tried to go after his gun. That set Law off in a brief panic because it left him dealing with Crocodile himself. At that thought, the dark haired surgeon calmed marginally, as that was what he had wanted in the first place. He didn't want Rocinante involved, and while Law would have preferred that man not be knocked unconscious in such a way, in this instance, the dark haired surgeon was relieved that the blond wasn't harmed but for a few likely bruises.

"Trafalgar Law."

Law didn't look up from Rocinante's crumpled form at the sound of his name being spoken. He stopped short of reaching out to ruffle blond hair, because he didn't want Crocodile or the other man in his house to know that Rocinante meant more to him than they may think. For all they knew, Rocinante could have just been an officer sent to help keep Law safe while at home. When Law heard footsteps, the surgeon closed his eyes briefly before he opened them and spoke in a flat tone to the purple haired criminal.

"What do you want?"

-x

Rocinante couldn't believe he'd been taken off guard like that, and not only that, but he had, embarrassingly enough, been knocked out. As the blond haired officer struggled back into consciousness, what had just taken place quickly settled in, as well as panic. Rocinante opened his eyes and found that he was still on the floor where he had been taken down. The blond ignored the slight twinge of pain where he had been punched and instead looked this way and that, his panic increasing when it seemed like he was all alone.

No.

No. No. No.

Had Crocodile taken Law?

Or had Law gone with them because they threatened him?

"Cora? Are you awake?"

Relief spread through Rocinante at the sound of Law's voice, and he was already on his feet as he turned to face the surgeon.

"Cora?" Law's expression was one of puzzlement, as if he didn't understand why the blond was acting as he was.

"You're all right." Rocinante didn't mind that the other man was confused, though he wouldn't be for long, because the blond's clumsiness chose to kick in then and there. Instead of hugging Law as he'd intended, Rocinante instead tripped over the rug in the front hall and took Law down to the floor with him. Rocinante muttered apologies even as he shifted close in order to wrap Law in his arms, as if just being physically close would prevent the dark haired surgeon from vanishing from his vision, "You're all right." Rocinante mumbled again.

"Yes, I'm fine, but are you? Did you hit your head?" Law seemed to take the hug in stride, and even that physical closeness of another person didn't prevent the surgeon from freeing his hands to feel around Rocinante's head at the idea of the blond striking his head in some way.

The blond haired officer buried his face against the side of Law's throat as he let out a sigh, "I thought Crocodile was going to kidnap you while I was unconscious." When Law said nothing in return, and merely started to card his hands through Rocinante's hair, the blond moved away a little bit to grasp Law's hands in his own. "Law? What did he say?"

"Crocodile said that he'll come back in a few weeks for my answer." The dark haired surgeon didn't meet Rocinante's eyes as he spoke.

"I'll contact Sengoku; he can have officers be here to corner Crocodile when he shows himself again." Rocinante said reassuringly, holding Law against his chest as he traced his fingers along the surgeon's back.

"It doesn't matter. It won't help." Law said in a dead kind of voice, even though his newly freed hands went back to dig into blond hair, "It is my fault that I was even on their radar in the first place, so I will have to deal with it."

Rocinante's heart broke a little at the defeat in Law's voice. The blond didn't like it. Not one bit. But Rocinante wasn't sure what he could do to make things better. Whatever else Crocodile had said to Law had clearly not been good, what with the surgeon being so withdrawn and currently so miserable looking. The blond haired officer didn't want Law to look like that, so he made an attempt to cheer the other man up. An idea came to mind, and as it would make him happy, Rocinante hoped that it would get Law to smile even the tiniest bit.

The blond haired man reached out and took Law's hand in his own, stopping the surgeon's mindless ruffling of his hair. Rocinante saw the surgeon give him a slightly baffled look, but the blond merely offered a small smile before he brought Law's hand to his lips to kiss. At the slight squirm, Rocinante reached out with his other arm to wrap around Law's back loosely as he kissed his way along the surgeon's hand to his forearm, before he stopped, blocked by the short sleeved shirt Law wore. Rocinante brought Law close to him again, and whispered in his ear, "Can I take it off?" The blond trailed his hand up the back of Law's shirt, tugging it up slightly in question.

"Yes."

Law's voice was soft, though Rocinante couldn't tell what emotion it held because it was so quiet. But he pulled away from Law briefly in order to use both hands to take the dark haired surgeon's shirt off, and let it drop onto the floor nearby. Rocinante couldn't help but stare at the large heart tattoo across Law's chest, and it made him happy, as it always did, to know that Law had gotten the tattoo to let him know that he was only ever going to be with Rocinante.

No one else.

"Cora?" Those golden eyes were giving the blond a curious look now. As if Law wasn't entirely sure why the other man wanted his shirt off, but had a fairly good idea nonetheless, and was merely waiting for confirmation.

Rocinante took the hand he hadn't yet kissed to give it similar treatment as the first, and then continued up Law's arm with soft kisses before he reached the surgeon's neck, and placed a kiss between ear and jaw. The blond was pleased to find that spot was still sensitive, as it caused Law to sag against him with a soft sound. Rocinante kissed Law after a few more cursory kisses to Law's cheek and jawline, and the blond wasn't entirely certain how long the two of them indulged in the kiss, or how it had turned into a slow and leisurely exploration of one another's mouths. But it had been long enough that Law's expression was dazed when Rocinante finally broke the kiss.

Law looked to be in the present with what was going on, until Rocinante glimpsed the haunted look in those golden eyes that the surgeon couldn't quite hide from him.

"Law." Rocinante didn't know what to say that would make things better for the other man, and especially not after what he had been through over the past year. What could Rocinante say to that? To make life a little more tolerable for Law to continue on after being threatened at every turn and nearly dying a few times, from what little the surgeon had told him? Rocinante wasn't sure what to say, so he decided he wanted to keep touching Law; to reassure him in some way that he couldn't with words. That he loved Law and would do anything for him, no matter what. Rocinante pecked the dark haired surgeon on the cheek as he gave the other man a mischievous look.

Law wore a mildly interested expression, as if wondering what the blond was up to.

Rocinante smiled this time before he started leaving a trail of light kisses down the side of Law's neck, past his collarbone, and then further down to where Rocinante spent some time exploring those tattoos on Law's chest with his lips and fingers. When Law's hands tangled in his hair and tugged insistently, the blond moved back up, steadying himself on the floor over Law as he let the surgeon draw them both back into a lingering kiss.

"You're kissing me a lot more than before." Law stated, matter of fact, even if his breath was coming a little quicker.

"Is that a bad thing?" The blond asked, gauging the surgeon's response. The hands on his shoulder were a good sign, as was the tiny, barely there smile that flashed briefly across Law's features.

"No, it isn't." Law shifted a little beneath Rocinante, avoiding the other's eyes as he added, with a slight frown. "Though unfortunately I do not feel...overly aroused at present."

"You don't have to be. Besides, right now, I only want to kiss you." So Rocinante did, and Law finally ended up having to gently swat the overly affectionate blond on the shoulder to get him to back off, the surgeon breathing heavily and looking distinctly ruffled from the effort of all of the kisses visited on him.

"Let me breathe a moment." Law said with a huff. "Don't suffocate me with all of those kisses. There's plenty of time for kissing later, isn't there?" The surgeon fell silent after that.

"Then I'll kiss you tomorrow too." Rocinante nuzzled noses with Law, very happy when he noticed that there was a faint flush across Law's cheeks for what the surgeon had just said, and in response to the blond's words just now. Rocinante distracted Law briefly by using one hand to trace lightly along tanned skin. "I still love that you got the tattoo for me to let me know how you felt about me." Rocinante sat up and offered a bright smile, his voice warm and happy. "I love you, Law." The blond haired officer couldn't help but laugh aloud when Law, still breathing a little erratically from the kissing, got up and shut himself in the nearest room with a door, that happened to be the coat closet. A murmured 'love you too' emitted from the closed door moments later.

Rocinante smiled at the coat closet's door and the surgeon within it. He was definitely going to find a way to make sure that Law wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming after him, either for his life or for his surgical skills.

-x

Law emerged from the coat closet some hours later, and, as he still had some pent up energy from the way Rocinante had kissed him so much, the surgeon went around the house and cleaned what he could find to clean. And then cleaned some more, even if a room didn't precisely require it. The impromptu cleaning marathon left Law exhausted, and he didn't even bother to check and see if Rocinante was asleep in the bedroom before he collapsed onto the bed and fell instantly asleep.

It seemed like he'd only just fallen asleep when he was woken, though it was a pleasant awakening, because he was being kissed. Law did let out a confused murmur into it before he sighed and sagged into the sheets beneath him with a mind to enjoy it. Rocinante sure was being very affectionate, though perhaps it was because the blond haired officer was trying to make up for being dealt with so soundly by Baroque Works.

"Morning, Law."

Rocinante was also a lot more cheerful in the morning than any other person Law knew, apart from Luffy, apparently, as evidenced yesterday.

"I know you're awake. I don't think you can pretend after kissing me back."

Law cracked an eye open and then the other to better give Rocinante an irritated look, as if to let the blond know that he was displeased about being woken so suddenly. Kureha had told him he didn't have to work that day, unless there was an emergency, and after yesterday's…incident and subsequent cleaning marathon, the dark haired surgeon wanted rest. Law saw Rocinante's beaming features and promptly close his eyes with a grumble of, "No."

"I have coffee." The bed shifted, indicating that Rocinante had sat down on it.

The smell of caffeine lured Law into opening his eyes again, and with a sigh, the surgeon levered himself up into a seated position with a yawn. That the yawn turned into a kiss when Rocinante sneakily leaned over, Law didn't mind. He was glad the other man was in a good mood, and was taking Crocodile's visit relatively well. At least he hadn't insisted on escorting Law everywhere, but the dark haired surgeon was sure that would be offered at some point. Not that Law would mind; he liked being around Rocinante.

The kiss broke just as Law was about to pull back to demand the aforementioned coffee, and the surgeon found the mug in his hands before he could get a word out. Law sipped at it as Rocinante wrapped an arm around the surgeon's back and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"You're so cranky in the morning." Rocinante teased.

Law made some grunt of an answer as he continued to drink the coffee. When he was halfway through it, the surgeon felt somewhat like a normal person able to hold a conversation, and spoke. "Any reason you woke me up so early on my day off?"

"It snowed overnight." Rocinante replied. "And it's nine in the morning."

"And? It is snowy in this area most of the year." Law didn't see what was so great about snow. "And that's still too early."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk through the woods out back." Rocinante said with a laugh over Law's assessment of the weather and his clear lack of interest in it.

"Any particular reason?" Law asked, getting close to the bottom of his mug of coffee.

"Do I need a reason to spend time with you?" Rocinante asked. He was smiling, though Law didn't need to see him to know it. "Besides, fresh air would be good with you. You tend to hole up in buildings a lot of the time."

"I don't have a good winter jacket here." Law responded. The surgeon felt Rocinante let go of him altogether to pad out of the room, tripping in the doorway, from the sound of the yelp of surprise and the thud of the blond going in for a meeting with the floor. Law closed his eyes and moved to let his legs rest over the side of the bed. Since he was up, he might as well get up and dressed for the day. The dark haired surgeon eyed his empty mug. And get more coffee, it seemed. Just as Law was about to get out of bed, Rocinante returned with another mug of coffee, and something draped over a shoulder. Law accepted the mug of coffee as he watched Rocinante show what he had brought.

"I didn't think you would have packed everything, so I brought this with me." Rocinante held the floor length winter jacket that was fuzzy and warm and had those smiley faces sewn into the fabric, their gold color standing out in the black of the jacket itself.

"I suppose I can go out for a brief walk." Law said of the winter jacket in Rocinante's hands; the one that the blond had bought him awhile back. The surgeon drank the coffee, and as his eyes settled on Rocinante, he realized the other man was wearing his feathery black jacket, and the red hood. Law's eyes lingered on the the feathers. "That hood isn't exactly a winter hat." Law stated before he set the coffee aside and got out of bed.

"We won't be out for long, right?" Rocinante asked lightly, as he laid the jacket out on the bed.

"No, we won't. I'll want to come back to finish my coffee." Law replied as he disappeared into the closet in the bedroom. He emerged in a pair of spotted jeans and a slim fitting shirt without sleeves. He knew that the jacket would be warm enough that he didn't need a long sleeve shirt or sweater beneath it. Law heard Rocinante's breath hitch briefly and smiled, for once knowing that it was what he was wearing that had caused the blond to react. So, before Law put on the winter jacket Rocinante had thoughtfully brought along with him, the surgeon walked right up to the blond and stared at him.

"Law?" Rocinante looked a bit confused, even though his gaze kept roving the shirt Law wore like he'd never seen the surgeon wear something like it before.

"I seem to have neglected you for too long. I should have called you more often this past year. Had more video chats." Law reached out and grasped the straps of the hood and tugged on them to bring Rocinante in for a kiss. The surgeon was feeling a little more confident about initiating kisses, at least that morning, and Rocinante clearly had no protest whatsoever with Law's actions. So, Law reached around Rocinante's waist as best he could and dug his hands into the feathers of the coat the blond wore.

"I knew you liked the feathers." Rocinante murmured into the kiss, when Law drew back for a breath.

Law just tugged on the straps again, let go, and reached up to dig his hands into the blond hair beneath the hood to keep the kiss going a little longer. The dark haired surgeon felt he needed to give as much attention to Rocinante as he could. To let the blond know that he did care. That he hadn't wanted to leave him behind for a whole year; Law just hadn't wanted Rocinante to get involved in his problems and be targeted because of it. Law would try to make Rocinante as happy as he could get him, even though the surgeon knew that he was going to hurt the blond haired officer for a decision he had made when Rocinante had been unconscious.

No matter how many officers Rocinante may choose to bring to town to dissuade Crocodile from coming to get his 'answer' it would amount to nothing. Because Law had already given Crocodile his answer. The few weeks were not for Crocodile to come back, but for the dark haired surgeon to leave, without something happening to Rocinante and then being forced to leave anyway. Law didn't want any harm to come to the blond haired man, so he had no choice but to do as Crocodile had requested.

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon realized he had stopped kissing Rocinante, and hastily stepped back to hide embarrassment of keeping his face too close to Rocinante's. Not that the blond would have minded just gazing at him and his eyes. Law hastily got his winter jacket on at the thought as he zipped it up and retrieved his coffee mugs, "We were going to go out, yes?"

"Yes." Rocinante said, trailing after Law, his tone one of amusement, "I hope you at least remembered to bring your boots."

"Of course I did." Law said in return, as he went to the coat closet in the front hall after depositing his coffee mugs into the kitchen. As he absently put on his boots, Law strove to ignore what would happen in the future and tried to focus on the present and the fact he was about to spend some time walking with Rocinante outside.

Alone.

In the woods.

Law almost didn't want to go, but Rocinante seemed so eager to do so that the surgeon didn't voice his concerns about going into the woods. At the very least, Law would not be on his own, and the blond haired officer being there with him made leaving the house a little easier. After forcing some gloves on Rocinante, the surgeon put some of his own on and stepped out the front door after cramming a hat on his head.

-x

Rocinante was ecstatic that Law had agreed to go out on a walk with him, and couldn't help but laugh lightheartedly at the sight of Law's expression upon exiting the house. It was a mixture of annoyance for the snow being deeper than anticipated, and amused, because of the blond's own reaction to the snow.

"Make sure you keep hold of my hand or I might vanish under a snowdrift." Law drawled when he indicted the snow went up past his ankle.

Rocinante just stared at Law, as if he hadn't heard the dark haired surgeon correctly.

"Cora?"

"Did you just ask me to hold your hand?" Rocinante beamed happily at Law, and more so when the surgeon acted aloof and muttered, in a barley discernible tone, that he had said no such thing. Rocinante knew he hadn't misheard, and reached out to grasp Law's left hand in his own. "Ready to go?"

"It's just a walk, Cora." Law said dismissively, even as he gripped Rocinante's hand in return, though he said nothing of it.

Rocinante almost couldn't handle how cute Law was being, in addition to being a little prickly about the whole hand holding thing. The blond haired man loved when Law got embarrassed over the simplest of things. But for Rocinante to be able to hold hands with the surgeon when they weren't in a house made him very happy. The blond haired man knew that Law didn't particularly care for PDA, even if there was no one around to see them right now.

They walked through the newly fallen snow in the woods for longer than Rocinante had anticipated, and he might have suggested going home, when he realized that Law was wearing his spotted furred hat, even if it didn't exactly cover his ears for warmth.

Of course, Rocinante should have known that he couldn't get through an entire day without his clumsiness hitting him again in some way, so he wasn't all that surprised when he tripped in the snow. The blond did let go of Law, because he didn't want to take the surgeon down with him. At the very least, the snow cushioned his fall, which made getting back up a little easier. Rocinante collapsed right back into the snow when a snowball hit him in the face, and he lie still, stunned, over the fact that Law, Law, with a little smirk on his face, had been the one to throw it.

"I didn't hit you that hard." Law commented from somewhere overhead.

Rocinante rolled over in case Law had another snowball ready, and scarping some snow together, tossed it in Law's direction. The blond heard a breathless laugh, and Rocinante decided then and there that while it was ridiculous, anything that made Law laugh even a little bit was worth doing some more. The blond haired officer got to his knees, and just barely managed to duck another snowball thrown by Law, who was smirking even more now than he was before. Rocinante retaliated, and soon the air was filled with snowballs of various shapes and sizes flying to and fro as the two men tried to pelt one another.

Eventually it was Law who ended things by getting too close to Rocinante, as it allowed the blond to pull Law down into the snow after all. There was a bit of a wrestle in the snow beneath them, before Rocinante won out and started to kiss Law enthusiastically with breathless laughter.

Law fended the blond off half-heartedly, a few of his own laughs mixed in with Rocinante's. The two of them parted in order to regain their breath, and took turns patting snow off the other.

"I think we should head back." Law said simply as he stood up and held out a hand absently. "We don't want to catch a cold, do we?"

Rocinante took the offered hand and as soon as he was on his feet, he nodded. "Yes, I think you got some snow down the back of my shirt."

"Let me see." Law said blandly.

Rocinante should have known it was a trick, because suddenly Law's hand tugged the back of his collar open and snow was introduced. The blond haired man let out a yelp at the sensation of cold, before he mock chased Law through the woods back on the direction of the house. Rocinante wasn't upset, per say, though it was mainly because Law had been smiling mischievously before he fled in the opposite direction. Rocinante stumbled to a halt when Law reached the edge of the woods, just barely managing to not topple the two of them over.

Why had Law stopped so suddenly?

Rocinante wrapped his arms around Law's waist as he rested his chin on the surgeon's shoulder, "Do I get to put snow down the back of your shirt too?"

Law said nothing.

"Law? What is it?" Rocinante took the other man's silence as a worrying sign.

"Cora…isn't your brother in prison?" Law breathed out suddenly, pressing backward against the blond haired officer.

"Yes? Why?" Rocinante didn't hear a response from the surgeon, so he looked in the direction that Law was staring. The blond's arms tightened around Law's waist, before they loosened. "Get behind me, Law." It was proof to how spooked Law was at the sight that the dark haired surgeon did as Rocinante asked, unlike when Crocodile had been at his front door.

"Be careful." Law's words were a whisper.

Rocinante would be, and as he slowly eased from behind a tree, his hand dropped to his belt, where he kept his gun. After last night, Rocinante wasn't going to go anywhere without his gun. The blond haired officer approached the figure sitting in a slump on the front steps of the house. There was no doubt that it was Doflamingo, though the closer Rocinante got, the more he realized why his brother was slumped as he was.

He was injured, though whether he was unconscious was hard to say because Doflamingo wore those shades.

Rocinante kept a close eye on his brother's hands, as if expecting him to draw a gun. He'd shot the officer before, so Rocinante wouldn't be surprised if Doflamingo did so again. It saddened Rocinante that his own brother would harm him, when the blond haired officer knew that he would have trouble pulling the trigger on Doflamingo if he really had to.

"Doffy?" Rocinante didn't want to rouse him if he was unconscious, but it was better to find out why Doflamingo was there and not in prison as he should have been.

Doflamingo stirred, and Rocinante tensed up, not sure what to expect, considering how they had parted before and after Doflamingo's trial.

"Cora." Law's voice was barely audible.

Rocinante was glad the surgeon was was staying back, but considering what Doflamingo had done to him, the officer didn't blame Law for keeping his distance. And then Rocinante's attention was drawn back to Doflamingo, because his brother had woken up, and he was, presumably, staring at him, as he'd lifted his head.

"Roci?" Doflamingo appeared to look at his surroundings before turning back to Rocinante. "Where...am I? And what are you doing here? I thought you worked with Sengoku down in that one city now." Doflamingo looked around again. "Unless you like living...in the middle of nowhere...and commuting."

Rocinante stared at his brother hard, having an uneasy feeling, though he couldn't be sure until he confirmed one thing. He hoped he was wrong, but in a way, life would be easier if the blond haired officer was right. Keeping a careful eye on Doflamingo, Rocinante half turned. "Law, come here. It's fine."

Law slowly shuffled out from behind a tree, wearing an expression that clearly reflected his doubt that everything was fine. Nonetheless, the dark haired surgeon came over to Rocinante's side, where he half hid behind the officer before he stared hard at Doflamingo, as if Law expected the other man to try and murder them both where they stood.

Doflamingo caught sight of Law, and instead of reacting as expected, said something completely different, which confirmed the suspicions forming in Rocinante's mind.

"Who is he?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: And an update for this fic now! Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! And the fic will get a little dark, what with what happened to Law in the past year still hanging over his head and threatening to happen again in the present. And Crocodile was mainly there to get the plot rolling faster, because what better way than for the head of a crime syndicate to come and give you an ultimatum with a time limit?

There was a whole lot of fluff in this chapter because Law is going to try and get Rocinante out of having to deal with Baroque Works, which obviously won't work and will get even more people involved. Also, yes, Doflamingo is around because he happens to conveniently know Crocodile, though only when he recovers and gets his memory back in order will he actually be able to provide relevant information as to why Crocodile wanted Law (also three guesses as to who fucked Doflamingo up, because they will show up later as well). Trying to not let the plot pace lag, so here's hoping there's not too much meandering in future chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

Doflamingo wondering who Law was gave Rocinante the confirmation he needed that not all was right with his brother. There was no other explanation as to why his older brother was, from the look of it, giving Law a confused frown, as if Doflamingo were trying to place the surgeon and found he could not do so. But right now, there was something else that Rocinante was concerned about and it was the fact that Doflamingo was not in prison where he should be. How he had been able to get to Law's new home was beyond the blond haired officer, and he had to press Doflamingo to make sure his brother wasn't faking not knowing Law as a way to get him to lower his guard.

"Why aren't you in prison?" Rocinante asked as he let his right hand squeeze Law's reassuringly when he felt the surgeon grip the limb tightly. "It was a maximum security prison. You shouldn't have been able to just walk out without someone seeing you."

Doflamingo remained slumped in an upright position, though he didn't seem to register his younger brother's question. Nor did he seem to remember asking a question of his own in the first place, as Doflamingo started to wheeze in and out like he was having trouble breathing. Before Doflamingo could begin to form some kind of response, he ended up sagging backward against the front door, his head tilted to the side with a frown or grimace of pain crossing his features. It was then that Rocinante noticed the blood and it became even more apparent when Doflamingo's head dipped down as the older man tried to breathe in a few deeper breaths.

It looked as if someone had smashed something against Doflamingo's head or that the blond himself had been bashed against something solid. It explained why the older man seemed out of sorts and had trouble processing things if he had a head injury.

Rocinante, despite not liking at all what Doflamingo had done to Law, felt conflicted at the sight of his brother wounded, as no matter what shit Doflamingo had pulled in the past few years, the man was still family, even if Rocinante felt it didn't seem so as the years went by. The blond haired officer could tell that Law was conflicted as well, although it mainly had to do with Law's instincts as a surgeon and his desire to treat any and all wounds that he saw and believed he could fix. Law was staring rather hard at Doflamingo, as if trying to figure something out himself. Rocinante gave Law another reassuring squeeze to the hand, and murmured to the surgeon softly.

"I need to figure out why he is here." Rocinante glanced at Doflamingo, "If he could find this place, then someone else can, and I don't just mean Baroque Works."

Law loosened his grip on Rocinante's hand and took a deep breath before letting it out and speaking dubiously, "It will be hard to get anything out of him in that state."

"I know, and because of that, I was wondering if you…" Rocinante hesitated, "That is...would you be willing to treat him? It doesn't seem right to leave him like this, even after what he did to you."

"…as long as you stay in the room and don't leave me alone with you brother." Law gave Doflamingo a mistrustful look, "Though if he is unconscious the whole time it would be a great deal easier."

"Then I guess I'll have to bring him in the house." Rocinante cast an inquiring look Law's way when the surgeon walked away and down the lane headed to town, "Law?"

"I'll need some supplies from the clinic. Bring him into the kitchen. I cleaned that area most recently, so it is the most sterile room in the whole house." Law said nothing more, and it was probably because he was cataloging things in his head that he would need.

Rocinante figured it was the dark haired surgeon's way of putting out of his mind the fact that it was Doflamingo that he was going to be treating. Rocinante might have insisted he bring his brother to Kureha's clinic to be treated but with the shape Doflamingo was in, the officer would prefer not to move him. Even if Doflamingo would deserve a bit more hurt for the hell he had put Law through working as the surgeon of death. But despite all that Doflamingo had done to Law and to Rocinante himself, Rocinante found it hard to even think of harming his brother as much as he was at present. The blond haired officer was surprised at Doflamingo's resilience to his injuries, when, as Rocinante was in the process of getting his brother to his feet to half drag the other inside, Doflamingo briefly came awake and was completely lucid. He also happened to experience a spike of adrenaline and was far more panicked than Rocinante had ever seen his brother be. And it was clear, as soon as Doflamingo spoke, that he was answering the prison question.

"Kaido is going to try to kill me. Has already tried, actually." Doflamingo trailed off briefly before continuing in a strained tone, "Can't be in prison…too easy to send someone in to get to me." Doflamingo wheezed as he gripped one of Rocinante's arms. "Bastard almost got me when…I got onto the streets. He lost the…" Doflamingo faltered, as if losing track of the thought, and swayed. "Going to...be trouble..." The older blond haired man mumbled, leaning heavily against Rocinante. The sudden effort of moving his wounded body so much seemed to have taken its toll on Doflamingo, and the blond suddenly passed out without another word.

Rocinante, on the other hand, was greatly tempted to leave his brother in the woods and let Kaido have at him. Hearing the man's name made the blond haired officer wonder, not for the first time, just how far into the criminal underworld his brother had gone, and from the sound of it, Doflamingo had gone very far indeed if someone like Kaido had decided to go after him and send people after him. Rocinante mused over the likelihood of getting any more information out of Doflamingo in the near future and supposed that it would depend on whether his brother would be able to recover from his wounds and that there was no permanent damage due to his injuries.

Doflamingo forgetting who Law was, and possibly forgetting more, could be dangerous, as Doflamingo had information on criminals other than himself, and that could be more of a problem since Doflamingo had been put into prison, as perhaps Kaido wasn't the only person after his brother.

Rocinante set Doflamingo down on the pristine clean floor of the kitchen within minutes, and waited for Law to return.

-x

Rocinante sat in a chair in the living room and frowned thoughtfully. It had taken Law a few careful hours, and Kaya's brief appearance and assistance, to make sure that he treated all of the wounds that Doflamingo had received, and spent the longest amount of time fussing with Doflamingo's head, and hissing occasional expletives at the sight of the head wound.

Law had commented some time ago that head wounds were the worst for him to treat, as it was a very delicate operation, and sometimes it was hard to deal with the skull, especially if there were fractures. And then there was the possibility of fluids building up and then-

"Cora?"

Rocinante started at a hand tapping his shoulder, and realized that Law had to have called for him several times. Rocinante hadn't noticed as he'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard the surgeon calling him the first time. The blond haired officer lifted his head and could see only weariness in those golden eyes as Law let his hand drop from his shoulder. Rocinante briefly looked at where Doflamingo was bandaged and now resting on the couch before Rocinante turned back to look at Law, and, seeing the surgeon standing there uncertainly, reached out with a hand. As soon as Law tentatively grasped his hand, Rocinante drew Law onto his lap where he wrapped his other arm around Law's back. Rocinante let out a sad little sigh and nuzzled his cheek against the top of Law's head as the surgeon settled against him after a brief moment's hesitation.

"There was certainly some head trauma." Law said after a moment, not protesting in the least when Rocinante linked their hands together as the other hand trailed along the surgeon's back. "If him not recognizing me before was any indication, I would say that there is a chance of amnesia. Whether it is permanent or not I cannot say at this point."

"Thank you for treating his injures." Rocinante murmured into Law's hair. "I know it was hard for you to do, after what he put you through."

"And what he put you through as well." Law reminded Rocinante. The surgeon then seemed to realize where he was and hastily maneuvered out of the blond's grasp and off of his lap and that just happened to be when Doflamingo briefly came to. Law, taking one look at the bandaged Doflamingo propping himself up, went to hide behind the chair Rocinante was seated on and presumably glared suspiciously at the other man.

Doflamingo didn't seem to be overly bothered by the reaction. Instead, he took one look at Law, still garbed in an outfit he used for surgeries and promptly laughed, even if it was more of a weak rasp of air. "Why do you have a doctor?"

Rocinante wasn't sure what to say, and knew he was on his own because he could hear Law's breathing ramp into short, nervous puffs and knew the other man was struggling not to go running into another room and locking himself in.

"Did you finally decide to get a personal doctor to take care of your clumsy self?" Doflamingo said, his lips twisted into a wide smile of amusement.

Rocinante was sure he blushed because in a way it was true, though confusion gave way in the end. "Law is a doctor. A surgeon. He treated your wounds." The blond haired officer decided to test his brother's memory then and there. "Do you remember who hurt you? Who was after you?"

Doflamingo's expression because one of concentration followed by a frown of confusion. "No, I do not." The way Doflamingo said it appeared to mean that he did not like that he couldn't remember but was clearly too exhausted and hurt to really care more than that at this point in time. "Why is he still here?" Doflamingo asked, obviously deciding not to dwell on his wounded body and instead on something he could see before his eyes.

"This is his house." Rocinante half turned to exchange glances with Law, before his attention went back to Doflamingo. "Law and I have been together for four and a half years."

Brief surprise crossed the older blond's features before Doflamingo gave a tiny shrug, as if not so surprised after all. "I suppose it was about time that you found someone, but why didn't you tell me?"

"I did." Rocinante replied, "You teased me about it too, and you don't remember right now because you were hurt in more places than just your body."

"Amnesia?" Doflamingo sounded scornful over the very idea, yet at the same time the man seemed to, at the very least, give that a little thought.

Rocinante could feel Law's breath getting closer to his neck, and didn't outwardly react when he heard the surgeon's faint whisper.

"I don't want him to stay in the house."

So Rocinante, the following morning, urged an unsteady Doflamingo along the path to Kureha's clinic, and when the blond haired officer was finished getting his brother settled, Rocinante went back to the house and found Law a good deal less wired and suspicious. Rocinante wasn't sure what he was going to do about Doflamingo, but what he did know, as he and Law went about the rest of their day, was that he needed to give more precedent to the looming threat of Baroque Works and what they had in mind for Law.

-x

Law became more visibly subdued as the weeks went by, and it was because of the ultimatum that Crocodile had given him inside of his house. Before the appointed time arrived, however, Law was bound and determined to spend as much time as he could with Rocinante. It was mainly done out of guilt, because Law knew that he was going to hurt Rocinante emotionally and it didn't sit well with the dark haired surgeon at all, knowing how the officer had reacted to previous times Law had done something emotionally hurtful.

What wrecked Law the most about the whole affair was that that very morning, when he and Rocinante were cocooned beneath some blankets, the blond haired officer had spoken to him in a straightforward and serious manner. Even now, Law could hear those words.

 _Law, I want you to know that I will be here for you no matter what happens._

The dark haired surgeon poured himself a cup of coffee, sat at a table and frowned at it as he set the mug down. Law then closed his eyes and rubbed the heel of his hands against them.

Right after that declaration, Rocinante had given him a happy smile and told Law that he loved him.

The surgeon hated himself for what he was going to do, and Law couldn't tell Rocinante, just like when he had left home a year ago.

When Rocinante shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn and then a bright smile at the sight of him, Law wanted to tell the blond haired officer everything. But he couldn't. Not without putting Rocinante in danger.

Law closed his eyes. The surgeon was feeling even more conflicted then before as Rocinante leaned over and gave him a hug.

"I love that you always go for the coffee before you're even properly awake."

Law didn't want to go through with anything he'd discussed with Crocodile, and Law especially did not want to deal with any of it after Rocinante cupped his jaw and went in for a brief, feather light kiss. The dark haired surgeon opened his eyes when the kiss ended all too soon, and Law saw Rocinante move to stand next to his chair with a hint of a mischievous smile.

"You do realize that you are dressed in my clothes?"

"And?" Law asked dismissively of the loose clothing draped over him. "They were the closest to the bedroom door. I am not going to make coffee in the nude."

Rocinante smiled a brilliant smile as he swooped over Law again like he couldn't believe how cute the surgeon was being as his prickly self.

Law took the bout of affection as well as he normally did, and had even set the mug of coffee aside so as to pay better attention to the blond hair suddenly beneath his nose as Rocinante hugged him again. So Law, in retaliation, ruffled that messy blond hair and damn him if it didn't make the surgeon feel even worse by not telling Rocinante his plans. Law had a problem, and it wasn't fair that Rocinante was going to be put through the hell of a repeat of the whole past year. But Law would do it, to keep Rocinante and some other people in his life safe.

The dark haired surgeon hid his guilt in the coffee mug and he might have made a choking sound at the sight of Rocinante falling spectacularly onto the kitchen floor over nothing but his own feet. Law despised being backed into a corner again, but the surgeon would go regardless. As Law went about checking the blond haired man for injury, the dark haired surgeon knew that he wasn't going to let any harm come to Rocinante but for the man's own innate clumsiness.

Tomorrow was going to be hell for everyone, but Law knew instinctively that it was going to be worse for Rocinante.

Law had already made up his mind.

Rocinante had no idea what was going to happen, and he wouldn't know, until tomorrow, and by then it would be too late to prevent it.

Law could only hope he could go through with it, because right now, being wrapped in Rocinante's arms again and being loved without any harsh judgments being placed on him, the surgeon didn't want to think about being separated again. The idea of being surrounded by people giving him cold shoulders and being looked at with distrust was just so...

"Law."

The dark haired surgeon sagged into the kiss he received from Rocinante, and hoped that the blond haired officer would forgive him, even if the surgeon knew he wouldn't forgive himself for tomorrow's plans.

The day went just like any other, and Law resolved to make it up to Rocinante went night came around, if he weren't completely consumed by guilt by then.

Rocinante, it turned out, was oblivious to Law's inner turmoil, and was merely happily pleased that the surgeon merely wanted to cuddle and kiss most of the evening. There was hardly any talking, and it seemed to fit the mood Law had, as he didn't have anything to say that wouldn't give away his immediate plans. Law, as he stared down at Rocinante's sleeping features, resolved to leave a note, even though he knew it would only galvanize Rocinante into coming after him.

Perhaps that was what Law wanted, so long as the blond haired officer didn't get himself hurt in the process. It just seemed wrong to say nothing, and Law hoped he wouldn't regret leaving a clue as to his future whereabouts.

-x

Rocinante woke up all warm and fuzzy from a deep sleep, and rolled over to cling to Law, only to find that the surgeon wasn't there in bed with him. The blond haired officer wasn't overly concerned, because he knew that Law more often then not tended to go straight to the coffee in the morning. Unless he'd stayed up the whole night and went on an early morning cleaning spree, which was entirely possible with the way the evening had gone...

The blond turned over and buried his face into a pillow and grinned. He was rather elated because after the cuddling from the night before, Law had ever so quietly told Rocinante that he loved him.

And then promptly hid in the closet in the bedroom before Rocinante could squeeze him breathless in pure happiness.

Rocinante remained in bed for a brief time before he decided to go in search of Law and give him a kiss. The blond was still very, very happy that he had found the dark haired surgeon and that Law had been able to get a job in the town he'd decided to land in after a year of going around with no luck of finding a job. Rocinante managed to get dressed without any mishaps and went into the kitchen expecting to find Law clutching a mug of coffee.

Law wasn't there.

There wasn't even any sign of the coffee maker being used that morning.

The blond haired officer wasn't too worried even if he thought it was a bit odd that Law wasn't where Rocinante expected him to be. It became apparent relatively quickly that Law wasn't in the house.

A quick call the Kureha let Rocinante know that Law hadn't gone in to work at the clinic.

When Rocinante searched fruitlessly through the house one more time, the worry that hadn't been overly pronounced became a full blown panic when the blond haired officer realized that yes, Law was gone. The sight of the surgeon's keys and phone in a basket on the kitchen counter made Rocinante's heart sink even further as a feeling of dread set in. That didn't bode well at all, because Law never leaved the house without his phone, and Rocinante had an uneasy feeling that Baroque Works was involved in some way.

With a heavy heart and a sick feeling beginning to churn in the pit of his stomach, Rocinante ventured into the bedroom again, and spotted something on the bedside table that he hadn't noticed before.

A note.

From Law.

The short note was straight and to the point, which somehow made the message and its contents worse, because Rocinante felt a sense of deja vu as he read through the note several times to make sure he'd read it correctly.

 _I got myself into this mess with Baroque Works and don't want you to be involved._

 _I don't want to see you injured because of me._

 _If I don't see you again, I wanted to let you know I do love you._

 _I'm sorry, Cora._

There were a few odd scribbles that Rocinante couldn't decipher as he was far more concerned that it sounded like a good-bye. It didn't help much to reread the note, as it let Rocinante know that Law's on and off odd behavior over the past few weeks had led to his absence in Rocinante's life again. And that short, handwritten note by the surgeon let Rocinante also know that Law had not been kidnapped by Baroque Works at all, like the blond haired officer worried he might be.

Law had gone to them instead and left Rocinante behind.

It hurt to be abandoned like this similarly to when Law left a year ago, but as was the case back then, Rocinante knew that Law was only trying to protect him.

It didn't mean that it didn't still hurt.

The note let Rocinante know that while Law hoped he would be smart and stay away, that the blond should be be careful if he chose to pursue him. And the blond haired officer would, as he had figured out what the scribbles meant at the bottom of the note Law had left behind.

They were coordinates to wherever the dark haired surgeon was headed.

Rocinante wasn't going to lose Law again for another extended period of time, and Rocinante most certainly was not losing the surgeon to a large crime syndicate that only seemed to want to make use of Law's surgical expertise regardless of how Law felt about the matter.

It seemed like the blond haired officer was going to have to have a chat with his brother and hope memories of other criminals and their organizations were still clear in Doflamingo's mind. Rocinante pocketed the note and headed out of the house. The blond haired officer wasn't about to waste any time when Law was getting further and further away from him with every moment that passed.

It was unacceptable for Rocinante to dwell on the idea of spending another year or longer without Law in his life, so Rocinante would do everything in his power to bring Law back home.

Any dangers involved in trying to accomplish this didn't register with the blond haired officer as he quickly headed for Kureha's clinic.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Unless I get in a really good mood and want to write a lot, I think chapters will be around this long, maybe a little shorter, to be better able to keep track of things/what's going on. But I got to the plot of the fic now, so it should be easier to keep writing. Also, angst will happen, and some trauma of the psychological and sometimes physical kind will occur. If it makes the next several chapters of this fic any better, things will be all right by the end of the fic for Roci and Law.


	8. Chapter 8

The drive seemed to take ages, but in reality Law knew that it wouldn't take more than half a day's drive to reach his destination. On the plus side, he didn't have to do any of the driving. The downside of that was that Law had too much time with his own thoughts, and the idea of what was going to happen to him was only just sinking in. Law glanced out the tinted windows, and knew that he and Crocodile were nearing their destination when they passed a sign indicating they were only a few miles away.

Law closed his eyes to the barren landscape out the windows and knew, from his brief conversation with Crocodile before getting into the limo, that he was going to be brought to the desert city he'd been to before. It was where he had met some Baroque Works members unintentionally, which had led to the dark haired surgeon being tracked down, made an offer Law couldn't refuse, and was now willingly allowing himself to be driven back to a place he didn't think he would ever return to. Law had already been informed that he would be working in an underground clinic with Raindinners, Crocodile's casino, as a distraction and deterrent so that police didn't know of other, more illegal work going on beneath the glitz and glamour.

"We will have to go in the back way. No one should see you but my guards."

Crocodile's voice turned Law's attention to the violet haired man seated across from him, but the surgeon said nothing, since he didn't really have anything to say to the other man, other than the demand to be taken back home.

"You will be recognized in the city, as I'm sure you remember when you left. I have spoken to my people, and there a few others I will have to inform about your arrival." Crocodile lit a cigar. "Don't be surprised if there is some hostility toward you until I have had enough time to smooth things over. Focus on the clinic and you'll be fine." Crocodile withdrew an ornate key from a pocket and passed it over to the surgeon, who turned it over in his hands quietly. "I'm having one of my officer's set up a room that can only be open from the inside, so you can lock the door, as an extra precaution." Crocodile puffed away at the cigar for a moment before adding, "The likelihood of someone trying to assassinate you underground will dwindle significantly, especially with the guard I will have in place."

"What will I expect to find in the clinic? You didn't specify what I would be doing there." Law tucked the key away, glad to have something that would be in his control. Though the dark haired surgeon would have to make sure he didn't give any reason for someone to come hunting him down to force the door open. Law would have to try and get some sleep when he could if that was the case.

"It would mainly be my people that you would be tending to. Injuries, minor or not, because of the skirmishes with rivals outside the city." Crocodile gave an indifferent shrug. "There is also the matter of treating rival's wounds so that they do not die, as we need someone to bring messages back to whoever they were working for."

Law was quietly unnerved over the fact that he was basically doing the opposite of what he had done for Doflamingo, but at the very least, it wouldn't go against his ethics as a surgeon. After all, the only reason someone might end up dead in his care would be because they may have been beyond help before they even got to him. From the sound of it, however, it was more likely that the wounds would be superficial for the most part, and it would be understandable why those types of injuries wouldn't be brought to a regular hospital. If the wounded had been up to something illegal and didn't want to be found out by the cops, it was the safest thing to do. A pang of guilt and misery hit Law at the thought of police, as it made his mind drift to Rocinante, and the surgeon knew that he didn't want to give Crocodile any reason to have something happen to the blond haired officer. So long as Law didn't try to run, nothing bad would befall Rocinante.

-x

Rocinante had settled on his decision to go and speak to his brother when his phone began to ring. Despite the fact that Law had left behind his own phone, it didn't stop a little hope rising within the blond as Rocinante answered the phone.

 _'Rocinante?'_

It was Penguin.

The blond haired officer hid his disappointment. "What's wrong? Rocinante could tell that Penguin didn't sound particularly happy.

 _'Shachi hasn't come home yet, and it's hours past the time I would have expected him to turn up if he happened to have worked overtime.'_ Penguin said, _'Shachi's phone went to voicemail when I tried to call him, and it only does that if his phone's battery had run out.'_

"Maybe he turned it off?" Rocinante suggested.

 _'Maybe, but Shachi usually leaves it on all the time so people can contact him. He just charged it the day before.'_ Penguin let out a sharp breath. _'I don't suppose you've heard from him?'_

"I haven't." Even as Rocinante said that, he backtracked into the house to pick up Law's cell phone.

It was locked.

 _'Rocinante?'_ Penguin asked.

"One moment." Rocinante responded, the blond haired officer thinking a moment before entering a four digit pass-code. Rocinante beamed at the phone when it unlocked, and smiled even more when he saw the background picture on the phone. It was a photo of himself and Law, from what looked like the time they'd gone to the amusement park. Rocinante was smiling and Law was offering a hint of a smirk. Rocinante smiled to himself as he checked the text messages and the calls, ridiculously happy that Law had remembered and used the day and year they'd begun to go out with one another as his pass-code. It was a simple thing that made Rocinante more determined to find and bring Law back.

"The last message Shachi sent to Law was a rather questionable one with emoticons and..." Rocinante blushed a little at the bluntness in the text, "...and hints as to what Law could do now that I'd found him and had been with him awhile."

 _'When is it from?'_ Penguin asked.

"Yesterday evening." Rocinante returned after peering close at the sent message.

 _'That would be around the time I couldn't get through to him.'_ Penguin let out another sigh. _'I'll keep trying to get a hold of him. Let me know if he happens to contact you.'_

"I'll let you know." Rocinante confirmed.

 _'I might go to the station tomorrow if Shachi does't come back by this evening.'_

Rocinante exchanged a few more words with Penguin before hanging up and heading out of the house and to Kureha's clinic in town. He would confront Doflamingo with some questions, but given Doflamingo's current, there was likely little Rocinante could learn. The blond haired officer's assumption was proven correct, when he asked Doflamingo some questions and mostly got confusion or amusement in return. That is, confusion until Rocinante brought up Crocodile and Baroque Works.

Doflamingo's attitude changed completely, as those were topics he apparently remembered, what with the gleeful smile that crossed his lips.

"If that surgeon ended up getting tangled up with Crocodile and his organization, you would be better off not going after him. There were, and perhaps still are, a lot of assassins on Crocodile's payroll." Doflamingo's grin was eerie. "I doubt you would be able to get to the surgeon without having to first arrest all of those people, and Crocodile as well."

"I'm not going to let this go." Rocinante said firmly. "I can't leave Law alone somewhere where no one cares about him apart from his surgical skills. He won't last very long, if someone chooses to go after him and no one chooses to defend him."

Doflamingo grinned at Rocinante some more, like he found the other man entertaining. "I'm surprised you actually found someone to have such feelings for." The grin vanished momentarily, replaced by a frown as Doflamingo mused aloud, mostly to himself. "I wonder if Crocodile is aware that Kaido in the vicinity of his city..."

"What about Kaido?" Rocinante asked, wondering if Doflamingo had remembered something. Instead, the older blond went back to the matter at hand.

"If Baroque Works left you here, that means that they probably found someone else to make sure that the surgeon doesn't get any ideas in his head to leave of his own volition." Doflamingo continued on in something of a mutter, so quiet that Rocinante couldn't make sense of it.

"What do you mean by that?" The blond haired officer asked, only to be met with silence and the sight of Doflamingo slipping off into slumber, the talk clearly too much for his still recovering body to handle. Despite not getting much out of his brother, Rocinante had the uneasy feeling that he now knew where Shachi was, even though he had no evidence to prove it. Not to mention Penguin would insist on gathering some people together to come help Rocinante in his endeavors to retrieve Law, and, most likely, Sahchi. But as Rocinante had said that he would let Penguin know if he learned anything, the blond felt he had to at least tell Penguin his suspicions.

Penguin, it turned out, wasn't happy at all about the idea of Sahchi being used as leverage to make sure Law did not try to run, despite Rocinante telling him it wasn't fact.

Yet.

Penguin also hadn't been pleased that Rocinante hadn't mentioned to him in their earlier conversation that Law had left him via blackmail of some sort to go work for some shady criminal.

-x

Law didn't get to see much of the splendor of the desert city he was now to work in, as he was instead ushered into Raindinners from the back entrance, where Crocodile had a black haired woman lead Law underground. The violet haired man himself went to go spread the news that Law was working for him now, so those who worked for Crocodile as well should all leave him alone, regardless of what they thought of the surgeon.

The dark haired surgeon half heard the woman introduce herself as Nico Robin. Law wasn't really all together there, and merely followed along after Robin past a few rooms that appeared to be post op rooms, and then past a larger room that certainly looked like it would be used for surgeries. Robin headed further down until she reached a split, and turned right into another hall.

"We'll expect you back in the surgery we just passed about ten tonight." Robin flagged down a few loitering guards. "Get some rest while you can."

Law waited while Robin spoke to the guards quietly, before she departed from the area. Presumably to report back to Crocodile or to pass word of Law's arrival, the surgeon presumed. Law followed along after the guards without complaint, at least until one of the guards turned to him and shoved him roughly into the nearest wall. Law's back pressed tight against the wall, aware that all three guards were looming before him, crowding him against the wall to prevent escape. Where Law was supposed to be able to run in a narrow hall with guards posted everywhere, he wasn't sure. But the immediate threat were these thugs deciding to harass him. Law had downgraded them from guards moments before, as the dark haired surgeon would have thought that they were supposed to be professional and keep their opinions to themselves if their boss told them off already.

"Crocodile's decisions are final, but that don't mean that we like the idea of you being around."

"You do anythin' suspicious and you'll have more to worry about then the assassination attempts you dealt with before."

"I thought that was the whole point of coming here. To avoid anything like that." Law supposed it was a mistake to speak in that moment, because his drawled, indifferent words earned him a few punches followed by kicks. Law was able to mostly tuned out the jeers and the taunts and insults overhead, as he was far more concerned about minimizing damage. Law curled in on himself to avoid receiving a kick in the head, and was just thinking to roll to one side of the other to defend himself when a burn flared across his left shoulder blade. Law grit his teeth against the sudden pain, and barely caught the sight of two of the guards holding the third back, who'd just used the blade of a spear to attack Law.

"Hey, Crocodile said not to hurt him!"

"You were kicking him!"

"It woulda just bruised, idiot." A pause, followed by an exasperated sigh. "He can't reach that wound on his own."

Another sigh.

"We're gonna get into trouble."

Law just closed his eyes and lie there. It seemed that no matter what promises may have been made to him when he had come to this place, there was no guarantee that it would completely prevent people from harming the surgeon if they had the opportunity and didn't care about repercussions. Law spent the next hour in the surgery room he was to operate in being operated on himself, and after the bandages had been applied, Law was ushered out and back to stand in front of the room from before, shirt draped over one arm. His room, the surgeon supposed it was now. Inwardly, Law was grateful for the ability to lock the door from the inside, in case one of the guards didn't heed Crocodiles' warning. At the very least, the guards that had ganged up on him were banished from the underground. A small consolation for a now stitched up, five inch wound that still throbbed painfully.

"The guards have been changed." Robin's voice seemed to come from far away. "Be sure to lock the door. If you are up to it, come to the surgery tomorrow evening. There is a dining hall a few doors down from this room. Eat whenever you feel like it." Footsteps indicated that Robin had started to walk away. "Expect some company soon."

Law didn't precisely track that, as he was far more concerned with locking himself into the room and away from the world for the time being. Law felt marginally more relaxed as he entered the room, and found it larger than anticipated, and far more furnished than the surgeon would have expected it to be.

For some reason there were two beds, but a plus Law saw immediately was that there was a bathroom connected to the room, and that was a relief. Law couldn't imagine trying to take shower with the possibly of someone coming after him while even more vulnerable than he normally would be. Law's shoulder twinged, and surgeon amended the thought that he would have to bathe. He'd been lucky that the injury was shallow, and not longer than five inches. Before Law could decide if he wanted to sleep or make use of the TV that also happened to be in the room for some reason, the door opened. The surgeon panicked, as he had forgotten to lock it, distracted as he was. But he needn't have worried, because an excited exclamation let the surgeon know who the intruder was before Law could even get a good look at him.

"Law! It's you!"

Law would have responded that yes, it was him, had he not been so puzzled at hearing a voice he hadn't expected to hear.

Shachi.

Law's brow furrowed in confusion even as his red haired roommate let out another delighted whoop at the sight of him.

Wait.

What was Shachi doing here?

As soon as Law turned around, he grimaced because Shachi was suddenly right there to hit the surgeon full on with a hug. Law endured it, as he knew that just as Rocinante had been worried about him, so had his two roommates been. But his aching shoulder reminded Law that he didn't want to be overly jostled, and the dark haired surgeon shooed Shachi away from him as he walked across the room to use the key in his pocket to lock the door. As Law had anticipated, Shachi was still in good spirits as the red head had to make a comment about the surgeon's action.

"Law, what would Rocinante think about you locking us together in a room? Won't he be jealous?"Shachi acted as if nothing was wrong about the situation as he teased Law. "Really, you're a good roommate and all but we shouldn't do anything. Rocinante would probably try to kill me and Penguin would use my beaten body as decoration in the house." Seeing that Law hadn't taken issue with his words at all, not even to bristle at the ridiculousness of it, the red head's smile vanished. "Are you okay? Usually you'd try to beat me with a pillow." The red head finally caught sight of Law's bare torso and the bandages. Clearly, Shachi hadn't noticed them before in his earlier excitement of seeing his friend. "What happened?"

"One of the guards attacked me." Law said tonelessly, gingerly checking the bandages. "I was given a key to lock the room from the inside so people won't be tempted to murder me in my sleep."

Shachi went quiet, which was a rather infrequent occurrence and Law took advantage of it to ask a question.

"Why are you here?"

"Dunno." Shachi said with a shrug. "I don't remember much. I was headed home and suddenly something hit me and now I'm here. Guess it was a kidnapping, though why someone would want to kidnap me..." Shachi shrugged again as he hummed aloud and tried piecing things together. "Someone said something about an extra precaution for something or another."

Law's heart sank, as he knew exactly what his roommate was saying, even if Shachi himself didn't know it. Shachi was likely only here because the red head was to further ensure that Law did as he was told. The surgeon had little doubt that the red head was going to be put to work as well, and considering his friend's particular skill set, it was going to more than likely be illegal. And as the red head had already been on probation and house arrest before, the sentence wouldn't be as lenient as before.

Law's eyes briefly closed, hating to think that he was causing not only trouble for Rocinante but for Shachi as well. Law's eyes opened as he sighed and stared rather transparently at his friend. "Shachi?"

"Yeah? What is it?" Shachi had walked over to the surgeon, a hand reaching out when it looked like Law was about to sway. "Really, are you going to be all right? Do you hurt somewhere else?" Shachi staggered briefly when the dark haired surgeon suddenly collapsed against him without warning. "Law!" Despite the seriousness of the situation beginning to sink in, Shachi couldn't help but tease his friend a little. "Jeez, you're heavy. Does that mean you've been eating regular meals now?"

Law's eyes closed again as he exhaled, even if he half-appreciated his friend's attempt at levity. Law's body hurt from the beating it had received, and the exhaustion and continued pain of having been wounded in the process didn't help matters. Why someone had even had a spear was something that Law had not thought to question at the time. It was rather strange, that it hadn't been a gun, but then again, a gin shot might have been worse.

"Does Rocinante know you're here?" Shachi asked suddenly, as he maneuvered Law over to the bed to lay face down on, the red head heedful of the bandages now that he knew they were there.

"Yes." Law murmured softly, his eyes still closed.

"Then he'll find us, right?" Shachi asked. "I know Penguin would probably get in a car and come to find us too." The red head cursed. "Damn, I forgot to hack the phones here to try and let him now I was fine. My phone must have fallen out of my pocket or something."

Law didn't answer. He didn't know what to say, as he lie there on one of the beds, his shoulder throbbing and his general tiredness getting the better of him. "They're expecting me to start working tomorrow evening, if I'm up to it."

"You wouldn't have recovered by then." Shachi pointed out.

"Doesn't seem to matter to them." Law replied. "But I'll see if I can rest some more."

"I'm going to try and figure out a way to let Rocinante and Penguin know we're all right." Shachi stated.

"Don't let them catch you doing it. If the guards figure out you know me, instead of just being roomed with me, they might not miss a chance to try and hurt you as well." Law mumbled, the exhaustion causing him to drift off toward slumber. The dark haired surgeon heard Shachi's reply as a kind of distorted sound. Everything was going so very wrong, and there was nothing that Law could do but let things happen as they would. One thing Law did know was that if he could, he would make sure, at the very least, that he would find some way to get Shachi out of this mess. The dark haired surgeon didn't want his friend to be harmed because of being associated with him.

Law was the one Baroque Works wanted; not some former thief they'd seen fit to bring to this place. Belatedly, Law wondered why they hadn't just brought Rocinante along to keep Law in line, and it was a question that the surgeon had no answer to. Surely there was a reason, but whatever it was, Law would have to think on it when he was fully conscious and not in so much pain. At the moment, Law loosely grasped the sheets beneath him as he let out a low sigh against the pillow he had rested his head on.

 _Cora._

Law drifted into slumber soon after, uncertain when he would see the blond haired officer again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: I'm determined to continue updating stories when I can (I really should stop guessing at the length of chapters). Still working on my opreversebang story atm.

If there are any glaring inconsistencies, please point them out and I'll fix it. I'm feeling like I am missing something and I just can't pinpoint it atm.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry about the delay. Writer's block sucks but when it goes away holy shit do I love being able to write out chapters again and feel like they came out fantastic. FYI, as hinted in _The Klutz_ , in two or so instances, Penguin can kick ass and will do so in this fic because he was the one who taught Law some defensive moves in the previous fic. Figured one of Law's friend's should be able to take care of themselves in a fight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He was being followed.

For it being the middle of the day, the city was already very crowded despite the fact that most people should have already made it to work by now.

Penguin himself was on his way home from an errand when he saw a flash of movement that made his guard go up. Penguin peered out of the corner of his eyes from beneath the brim of his hat to verify that he wasn't imagining things. Pale eyes narrowed in on the same quick movement, before Penguin turned his attention forward.

No, he wasn't imagining things. He was most certainly being followed.

It was something that Penguin hadn't experienced in over a year. Not since Doflamingo had been trying to blackmail Law into working for him; when Penguin had been cornered and accosted by several men. Men who had, from what Penguin could tell, wanted to kidnap him.

In order to blackmail Law.

It hadn't worked out, as Doflamingo apparently hadn't realized that Penguin was more than capable of taking care of himself. Penguin had left his would-be kidnappers sprawled and unconscious on the ground before warning Law over the phone to not agree to anything. Not that the warning had mattered when Rocinante himself had been captured soon after.

Penguin veered away from his car and instead walked further along the sidewalk, keeping an absent eye on his surroundings. His primary focus was the shadow he'd acquired some blocks back. Another turn and still Penguin's shadow tailed him, solidifying in the man's mind that whoever it was didn't have friendly intentions toward him.

Penguin briefly closed his eyes before opening them as a soft sigh left him. There was no doubt in his mind at all now that he was being tailed, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with what had happened to Shachi. Penguin recalled his conversation with Rocinante the day before, about how it was likely that Shachi had been kidnapped and taken to where Law was being held, and Penguin's smile twisted into something unpleasant. If Baroque Works had in mind to add another person to further torment Law into playing by their rules, they had another thing coming. Penguin heard his phone ring in his pocket, but he ignored it as he kept his attention on the person who was following after him.

They were closer, whoever it was. The crowd had thinned out, so Penguin wasn't surprised. Whoever it was was moving in to take him down and out with the least amount of bystanders.

Penguin slipped his phone out of his pocket and noted that it had stopped ringing. He raised the phone as if to answer the non-existent ringing, before he ducked into the alley as if to have privacy for the picked up call. Instead, Penguin hastily dialed a number, and as soon as it was answered, spoke firmly. "5th. Down on the corner near the old closed down club and that sleazy bar in the city."

' _Penguin? Are you all right?'_ Rocinante's voice sounded utterly confused. _'What's going on?'_

"Call someone in from the station in the city to that spot. I got a tail. I believe they have similar intentions with regard to what happened to Shachi but with me in mind." Penguin gave Rocinante no time to respond as he hung up and pocketed the phone. Penguin needed to focus and make sure he didn't allow himself to be captured. Law didn't need more on his mind then he probably already had. Penguin swung about in the dingy alley and braced himself for a fight. As soon as someone whipped around the corner, Penguin launched himself at the man, taking no time to see if they were alone or not.

The man was clearly some hired goon, because whatever the man had been told, it was clear he hadn't expected a fight from a much smaller man. Penguin wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and immediately went for a quick, clenched fist to the man's abdomen. Penguin followed it up with a crack to the jaw which threw the man off balance and backwards. Penguin knew he should have divided his attention between both the man and his surroundings, because something hit him over the head that left him dazed and reeling. Penguin had no time to duck away before something seized him from behind and swung the pale eyed man around to shove him none too gently up against the wall.

The breath was squeezed out of Penguin at the rough manhandling. The loss of air left him wheezing for air and quite aware of a painful throb from where he had been struck moments before.

"Shit." A muttered curse and groan rose from the man Penguin had laid out flat on the ground. "What the hell?"

"You shouldn't underestimate your opponents." The man that held Penguin pressed against the alley wall scolded.

"How was I supposed to know he even saw me?" The man sounded like he spat something on the ground. "Damn, he hits hard."

"You at least remembered to call for the car to be brought around, didn't you?"

Penguin pretended to go limp as if he had given in to the idea of bring caught, before he shoved roughly away from the wall. Penguin smacked the back of his head into his aggressor's jaw, causing the other man to curse and let up on the pressure he had on Penguin's shoulders. Despite the pain that came from striking with an already sore spot, Penguin followed up his attack by elbowing the man in the gut harshly as he ducked and rolled a short distance away before springing up to his feet and facing the two men. Penguin resisted the urge to gingerly touch the back of his head, as pain was far from his mind at what the two other men's intentions were for him.

"Slippery bastard."

Neither man looked familiar, but it didn't matter. Penguin knew now that he was in a precarious position, what with a throbbing head and two men that blocked off his escape route. There was only one reason for this brazen attack in daylight hours, and Penguin refused to be held hostage to get his friend to do as some crime boss wanted him to.

"What is taking you all so long?"

Penguin barely managed to duck away from a third man who entered the alley from behind him, and Penguin cursed his bad luck as the quick movement made his head hurt even more. The dizzying feeling he had was making it hard to focus on his opponents, and Penguin knew that if he let his guard down, it was over. An injured, disoriented man would be easy prey to capture and cart away to who the hell knew where.

"This was supposed to be a quick job."

Penguin took in all three men, and began to calculate whether or not he had enough stamina and energy left in him to make a getaway without getting hurt or kidnapped. Penguin might have been able to deal with the two men he had initially tangled with, as neither of them had a weapon but for their fists. A glint of metal in the dull lighting of the alley made Penguin suck in harsh breath. A feeling of dread crawled over him as the metal object registered in his mind. This third man had a gun and held it line with Penguin's chest in an unwavering hold. Penguin went completely still but for heaving breaths from the brief fight. He was fairly certain that he, and not to mention Shachi and Law, would prefer that Penguin be kidnapped and not shot dead.

What Penguin might have done or what might have happened didn't even cross Penguin's mind in that moment, because there was movement behind the man with the gun trained on Penguin. The short haired man made no movement, and it was just as well that Penguin's hat shaded his eyes, because he may well have given away the man that had showed up. Penguin wanted to laugh, but found that he was rooted to the spot, and hoped that whatever the newcomer chose to do, he wouldn't make the man he was approaching from behind discharge his weapon out of reflex.

Penguin dropped instinctively as the newcomer slammed into the man holding the gun, and smashed him into the nearest wall with a sickening crack to the head. The two men who had accosted Penguin first saw their third drop to the ground limply and without a sound. The two exchanged looks before they fled the alley with 'shits' and 'fuck' and 'look at the size of that guy'.

Penguin relaxed marginally before he rose and frowned at the red haired man that approached him, and tired hard to ignore he fact that the other man wore a feral grin. Penguin looked down at the man on the ground. "Did you kill him?" The last person Penguin expected to see was Eustass Kidd, but figured that it was an area the red haired man hung out in. Probably heard the noise and wanted to join in the fun. Penguin shuddered slightly at the sight of the gun that had skidded a short distance away. Not much fun if that gun had gone off like he thought it might.

"Any reason someone's trying to kill you? Something that you didn't let the doc know about?" Kidd drawled, still wearing a shit-eating grin as he kicked the unconscious man in the side as he passed by and loomed over Penguin.

"I think they were trying to kidnap me and didn't expect a fight." Penguin didn't even bother to glance up as his hand went to check on the sore spot on the back of his head. "Shachi's already been taken, or Rocinante seems to think that he has, and is with Law, wherever he is."

"What the fuck? What about Law? You found him?" Kidd shook his head and growled under his breath. "Fucker's been gone too long. Miss messin' with him."

"I'm sure Rocinante would love to hear that." Penguin said dryly. Apparently Kidd hadn't gotten over Law yet, and the sooner he did, the better. There was no way Law was looking at anyone other than Rocinante, as evidenced by how far he'd gone to keep the blond haired officer safe. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the pale eyed man sighed. "I guess Rocinante called it in for me after all, but I ought to get home and see if there's any word from Shachi." Penguin paused, and then nodded at the unconscious man on the ground. "…thanks for that. I didn't hear that one sneaking up on me until it was too late."

"Whatever." Kidd grumbled as he rolled his shoulder in a shrug as if it weren't all that uncommon for him to wander into alleys and bash people against walls into unconsciousness. The red head jabbed a finger at Penguin. "'Sides, you should have said something about Law before."

"Since when was Law any of your concern? I doubt he was on friendly terms with you to let you know what he was up to when his firend's and Rocinante were kept out of the loop this past year." Penguin headed out of the alley and back to his car, where he sighed when Kidd opened the driver's side door and slid in. "Why are you getting into my car?"

"Shut up and give me the keys." Kidd said, settling into the car like he owned it. "You took a knock to the head, didn't you?" The red head said nothing of Penguin's previous comments, though it was unclear whether he hadn't been listening or had nothing to say to it.

Penguin slid into the passenger's seat and wordlessly handed off the keys, not because Kidd demanded he do so, but because he wanted to get home and see if there was any word on Shachi. If there was one thing Penguin knew for certain about his red haired friend, it was that he would, when he was able to, let Penguin know that he was all right.

Penguin also wanted to ice his head and hope he just had a bump and not a concussion.

Penguin made it home in record time thanks to Kidd's driving, although the pale eyed man was sure to keep an eye out for any cars following them too closely. From the look of the red haired man's shifting eyes in the driver's seat, Kidd was doing similarly. Luckily, none of the cars around them followed them obviously. Not even to follow close and then drive away.

It was safe, for now.

Penguin exited the car and heard Kidd lock it before passing the keys back over to him. Penguin tried to ignore the taller red head following him to the house. Penguin opened the door and entered the house, disarming it when the alarm went off. One good thing to happen that day. No one had tampered with the security system Law had had installed in the house.

"Damn, this place is big." Kidd said with grudging admiration, as Penguin shut the front door and locked it. "Think I've only been here during parties and didn't notice before."

"Don't touch anything." Penguin said half-heartedly as he moved away from the front door. "Law would probably kill you."

"He's not here so he won't know." Kidd replied, and with another grin, went straight to the kitchen. "Fuck, I need a drink."

Penguin followed, and after grabbing an ice pack, went back into the living room and booted up the computer he had there. Penguin checked his email, and then another one, before checking Shachi's email that the red head had given him permission to check on occasion when he wasn't around.

Nothing.

Penguin didn't know what he expected. Shachi had only been gone close to two days, and Penguin wasn't sure how much freedom Shachi would have if he was with Law to keep the surgeon from getting any ideas about escaping. Penguin was about to turn away when a rectangular box popped up unbidden onto the computer screen. Penguin frowned at it before his breath caught. The words that were there immediately drew his attention.

 _Flightless bird? Y?_

Penguin smiled at the screen. Only one person would dare to call him that, so he settled in the chair and typed a reply before he hit the enter key. _Y. OK?_

The box disappeared, which alarmed Penguin briefly before he noticed that another box popped up. One with a screen and a grinning face wearing shades despite clearly being indoors.

"Shachi." Relief washed through Penguin. At least he knew that one of his friends was safe.

' _Hey, Pen, you look like shit. Did you get into a fight?_ ' Despite the overall humor of the question, there was a thread of concern underlying it.

"As a matter of fact, I had a visit in an alley with three men who seemed intent on getting me into a car and taking me somewhere." Penguin saw Shachi look one way and then another, before looking over his shoulder. A moment passed, before Shachi faced the screen again.

' _You think they were trying to kidnap you? To bring you here?'_

"I can't think of why someone would come after me otherwise." Penguin took off his hat to better narrow his eyes at his friend. Sometimes it was hard to read the other man's expression with those shades on. "And how are you doing this? Don't they have security measures in place to prevent hacking? More to the point...why would they even let you be anywhere near a computer in the first place?"

' _Please don't insult me. Like their systems were hard for me to get around.'_ Shachi grinned mischievously. _'The guys who did the security system should be fired. An amateur hacker could have gotten through it. And it's not my fault they left a computer in this room, though it was somewhere they probably didn't think I could find it.'_ Shachi scoffed _. 'I needed some kind of bone thrown at me, but a computer hidden in a panel of the wall behind the bed was new.'_ The red head grinned like it was fun to discover something in such an out of the way place. _'Anyway, I wanted to let you know it was me. So that you and Rocinante could know that Law and I are all right. I was going to use my phone but I don't have it anymore. Doubt I would have been able to keep it anyway. Being pat down on my way down to the room here was serious business.'_

Penguin nearly rolled his eyes at the humor in Shachi's voice before Penguin heard something in the background, and fixed his gaze on the red head as if he were right in front of him. "What happened there? Is Law there with you? You hacked the computer and sent me text in a box. Why do a video chat?"

' _What do you mean?'_ Shachi shifted in his seat.

Penguin merely narrowed his eyes further until the other man was squirming in his seat, as even with those shades Penguin knew the other man was avoiding his eyes. "I think text would have been fine to let me know you two were all right, but there's another reason, isn't there?"

' _I can't hide anything from you, can I?'_ Shachi complained, before the humor vanished and weariness took its place _. 'I was going to have Law talk to you face to face but I don't think he should be exerting himself right now.'_ Shachi hesitated before his voice lowered. ' _I_ s _Rocinante going to try and find us?'_

"That seemed like the plan." Penguin agreed, and noticed Shachi looking over his shoulder again. "And what do you mean, Law shouldn't overexert himself? Is he-" Penguin cut himself off when he saw Shachi suck in a breath and turn his head to direct words off-screen.

 _'Law, stay in bed. You shouldn't be moving. You need rest.'_

' _Who are you talking to?_ _Let me see_. _Move over, Shachi.'_

It was unmistakably Law's voice, and Penguin hated to hear that his friend sounded so worn down and exhausted as well as…in pain?

Law appeared on the screen not too long after Shachi had moved out of the way.

' _Penguin.'_ The surgeon's hint of a smile was unexpected but a welcome sight. Law hadn't been smiling much before he'd skipped out of the city last year.

"Yes?" Penguin was happy to see his friend, but also taken aback at the sight of the bandages wrapped around Law's torso and left shoulder. "What happened?"

' _As I told Cora, not everyone thinks that I was innocent when I worked for Doflamingo. I've had quite a few close brushes with death.'_ The surgeon lapsed into silence before he fixed Penguin with a steady stare of golden eyes. _'Don't tell Rocinante there was more than one instance or he'll just get more upset than he already was.'_

"Wait, someone tried to kill you? Law!" Penguin said in exasperation. He couldn't believe this. Law was making it sound as if the idea of him dying were something that was insignificant and not worthy of discussion. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you come home? We could have protected you from all that. You do have friends, Law. You didn't need to go off on your own and put your life in danger like this."

' _I didn't want any_ _of_ you _in danger.'_ Law admitted after a moment's hesitation, as he looked away from the camera of the computer he was at; presumably to glance at Shachi. Law turned his attention back to Penguin, and some of the man's instincts as a doctor took over as he looked his friend over with a critical eye. _'Why do you look like someone roughed you up? Are you...all right?'_

Penguin hesitated before deciding that Shachi would likely let out the information if he didn't, and spoke in as calm a tone as he could. "A few men cornered me in an alley and made it clear they were trying to incapacitate me. Kidd happened to be around to stop them, though I think the intention was for them to bring me to wherever you and Shachi are."

Law's face went completely void of any emotion, but Penguin had seen the flash of hurt and guilt that was on his friend's face before it was locked away beneath an indifferent expression.

 _'Maybe they wanted a bodyguard.'_ Shachi quipped from off-screen. _'You probably would have kicked their asses if it was a fair fight.'_ It hurt Penguin to see Law not even crack a smile at the joke their red haired friend obviously meant to do just that, and it broke Penguin a little more to know that Law was likely blaming himself for his friend's sudden problems.

"This isn't your fault, Law." Penguin said firmly. "Something had to have happened to cause them to choose to go after me. But what?"

Law shook his head, looking tired once more. _'Apart from being roughed up not too long ago, nothing seems any different.'_ Law sucked in a breath as something seemed to come to him before the dark haired surgeon ran a hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh. _'I may have said something about a bodyguard before they put me under to stitch up my injury. But that doesn't make sense why they would immediately jump to thinking about you.'_

Penguin was quiet for a moment. "Is there any chance they were aware of me taking out the goons Doflamingo set on me over a year ago?"

' _Perhaps. It seems a large leap of logic to go for someone else I know. After all, bodyguards are supposed to accompany the person they're protecting, so it wouldn't make sense to go after you if you would be more inclined to help me get away.'_

Penguin was silent as he gave Law a pitying look. He knew exactly what would keep him from doing just that, and Law realized it in that moment as well, his eyes sliding off camera to presumably look at Shachi again.

' _If they hurt either of you I think I will consider ignoring my ethics and morals as a doctor._ ' Law said after a long moment of silence. His eyes were dark and angry as if the mere thought of him yet again being blackmailed with both of his friends put the surgeon over some invisible ledge.

"I'll be careful." Penguin assured Law, even if he knew it was an empty promise. He'd been lucky Kidd had been around. "But you should probably have Shachi close out of the computer before someone catches wind of you communicating with the outside world."

Law hesitated before he nodded his agreement, though he seemed hesitant as he spoke softly. _'Penguin?'_

"Yes?"

Law's anger vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a more vulnerable side that Penguin hated to see in his friend.

' _Don't let Rocinante get himself killed. I already regret leaving the coordinates to where I was brought, but I know he would have gotten himself hurt to get even just that information.'_ Law broke off and muttered something so soft that Penguin almost didn't hear him.

Penguin's shoulders slumped when the surgeon finished but he smiled faintly at Law before replying. "I will let him know."

Law gave a little jerk of his head in thanks before he moved away from the computer, and Shachi returned in front of the camera, looking unusually grave and serious as he spoke to his friend. "Be careful, Penguin."

Penguin nodded. "You too. Please keep an eye on Law. Rocinante will be beside himself if some thugs harm him more than he already has been."

' _Bastards.'_ Shachi scowled. _'I will, and I know just the thing to do the next time someone tries to hurt him.'_

"We'll try and get to you as soon as we can."

' _Be careful.'_

"Always. No starting internet wars if you get bored, okay?"

Shachi cracked a smile. _'That was one time and it was all an innocent misunderstanding.'_

"I'm sure it was."

' _Bye, Pen.'_

The connection cut out.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Kidd asked from the doorway to the kitchen, clearly having heard the last bit of the conversation. "Was that Law and your other roommate talking?"

"Yes." Penguin pushed away from the computer as he adjusted the ice pack. He doubted he'd hear back from Shachi any time soon. The red head would have to lie low after that for a time to not draw suspicion to himself.

"If they're being held or whatever how the hell did he find a computer?" Kidd downed some of the beer from the can he held. "Shit, how did he even get through to you in the first place? He a hacker or something?"

Before Penguin could answer the red haired man's queries, several loud knocks sounded against the front door.

Kidd set his beer down on a table as he silently moved to one side of the door as Penguin did similarly to the other side. It was good that Kidd could react in a potentially dangerous situation without any instructions. Pity the red haired man couldn't keep his hands off Law or Penguin might have liked the man more, as he was clearly someone Penguin would want watching his back in a fight, so long as they were on the same side. With a nod to Kidd, Penguin carefully peered through the curtain over the window of the door to see who it was, and sucked in a surprised gasp.

"Rocinante." Penguin muttered, and couldn't help but let a tiny smile surface over Kidd backing away from the door a safe distance as if the blond haired officer had caught wind of him in the house and was there because of it. Penguin let out a slight laugh at the red head's reaction, and it drew a glare from the man as Penguin unlocked the door and threw it open to reveal a disheveled, exhausted Rocinante.

The blond haired officer barely gave Kidd any acknowledgement as he staggered into the house and sunk to the floor with a few deep breaths.

Shachi closed the door and locked it, before running to the kitchen and returning with a bottle of water, which the blond haired man took gratefully.

"Did you run? I thought you were off in that snowy county up north."

"Was." Rocinante panted. "Hopped a police cruiser and sped all the way down here when Sengoku said you weren't found in the alley. Only the perp."

"Shit." Penguin realized he hadn't called Rocinante back to let him know he was all right. "Sorry. I forgot to call. Kidd helped me get away from them."

Rocinante finally seemed to notice the other red head, and bristled a little at the sight of Kidd. Apparently he still didn't quite like the fact that Kidd had been flirting on and off with Law when it was clear the surgeon's interest was elsewhere.

Kidd, seemingly intent on keeping his already broken nose from some long ago fight from being broken again, spoke up. "What the hell did Law say, anyway?"

Rocinante whipped around to face Penguin, his interest in roughing Kidd up lost as desperate eyes sought out Penguin's. "You spoke to Law?"

"Yes. Shachi hacked through Crocodile's system and got a video call through."

"Are they all right?"

"Shachi will be fine if he doesn't piss off anyone with a gun." Penguin hedged.

"You said you spoke to Law." Rocinante's voice became taut, his attention on Penguin sharp and alert.

"He'll be all right. Said for me to be careful so I wouldn't be kidnapped and be in the same situation as Shachi. I don't want to be a part of some blackmailing scheme to make Law not think about escaping and coming back home."

Rocinante stalked toward Penguin until he loomed over the pale eyed man, and Penguin silently had to admit to himself that Rocinante looming over him was a great deal more terrifying than Kidd because Rocinante was pushing eight feet on height.

"What happened to him?" The blond demanded, looking upset.

"It sounds like one of the guards injured him and he needed stitches." Penguin held his ground, knowing that Rocinante was likely to be more grief stricken than anything. Penguin doubted the man would do anything to harm him. "Law was moving under his own power when I spoke to him. I just ended the call a minute or so ago." It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Rocinante looked further broken over the thought that he'd missed seeing Law with his own eyes.

Rocinante looked at the computer anxiously as if it would do something from merely staring at it. "Will they contact you again?"

"Not anytime soon. Shachi needs to be careful and not let any of the people there know that he can hack into their system so easily. He'll likely give us reports when he's able to but likely just in text. I don't think he'll risk another video for a while."

Rocinante's shoulders slumped, and the blond looked visibly distraught about going another hour longer without seeing Law for himself.

Penguin recalled Law's words, and waved the blond haired officer to come in closer so he could speak without Kidd overhearing them. "Law told me to tell you something."

Rocinante was all attention now, even if the sadness lingered.

"He said that you needed to be careful." Penguin said.

Rocinante smiled weakly. "He would say that."

"There's more." Penguin was distinctly uncomfortable with the next message, as he knew that it would involve tears and he hated to be the one who had to keep it together. Law being away for over a year had destroyed Rocinante emotionally, and despite hearing the happiness when Rocinante had found him, Penguin knew he had to tread carefully should Rocinante not react well to the words Law had asked him to rely to the officer.

"What did he say?" Rocinante asked desperately, hoping, _needing_ , anything that Penguin could tell him that Law had said.

"Law said that he loves you and that he apologizes again for getting you involved in something dangerous. He said…he said he would have rather been left alone in the town up north to be with you."

The tears came as expected but there was also a helpless laugh mixed in with it as Rocinante struggled to get himself under control.

Penguin thought he might have needed to say something else, but instead, Penguin was completely taken aback when Rocinante brushed the tears away, straightened, and offered a dangerous smile reminiscent of his older brother's. It was aimed Kidd's way, which made it natural for the red haired man to tense up as if expecting a fight.

"Want to do something illegal?"

Kidd looked surprised before a grin appeared, clearly having anticipated a throw-down and not words. "Do I get to blow shit up?"

"Crack a few skulls too." Rocinante offered as he pulled out his cell phone.

Penguin didn't even know what to say at this point other than to think that perhaps Baroque Works should have looked into Rocinante a bit more closely, because the blond haired officer's smile right now was anything but the sane individual Penguin was used to. Law would probably try to dig himself out of wherever he was if he got wind of what Rocinante was saying on the phone, but the more Penguin listened, the more he liked what he was hearing. Though who Rocinante was speaking to was a bit disconcerting.

"How would you like to go on a trip to Crocodile's casino, Doffy?"

It was truly bizarre hearing Rocinante talk so amiably to his brother, so something had to have happened for the blond haired officer to want his brother of all people involved in this. Even though Penguin could have sworn Doflamingo had been in prison. Penguin figured the blond haired officer had his reasons, or Rocinante was so determined to get to Law that he was willing to risk being back-stabbed.

"Well?" Penguin asked, when Rocinante ended the phone call. The smile Rocinante wore was unsettling as hell as it was turned on Penguin.

"Doffy said he had been meaning to pay Crocodile a visit." Rocinante responded, looking away as he started scrolling through the contacts in his phone. "His amnesia is convenient for me right now, because it gets us a way into the area at least. Doflamingo said he would vouch for a group coming with him to the casino. We just have to sneak in and hope we find Law before my brother thinks it is amusing to reveal we're there to Crocodile."

"What the fuck." Was Kidd's response to that, and it caused the blond haired officer to zero in on him.

"Call some of your friends in that do illegal things. And don't say there aren't any, because I know there have been some questionable things even you have been involved with." Rocinante demanded of Kidd. "I'll overlook it if it gets me to Law."

"Holy shit. This is gonna be a shitstorm." Kidd grinned like he had won the jackpot as he dialed a number and laughed into the phone. "Killer? Killer! It's fucking awesome, man! Get the guys together. We're gonna go fuck shit up to find Law." Kidd paused, and then laughed derisively at whatever his friend had said. "The cop told me it was fine. You know, the one Law's dating. C'mon, Killer. I wanna go blow shit up and beat the crap out of some assholes without worrying about being arrested. Well, unless I fuck up and get caught or leave evidence behind. It'll be fun. C'mon, you know you want to." Kidd groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to babysit my ass the whole time, you know. I know, I know. Geez. Don't ruin my fun before I can even do anything. Tch. Yeah, see you soon."

"You know anyone, Penguin?" Rocinante's unsettling look was directed to the man in question.

Penguin was concerned about the whole thing but he didn't think legal right now was going to get them Law back any sooner. And jerk that he was, Penguin didn't want to involve any more of Law's friends in case this didn't end well. There were, however, a few individuals Penguin and Law were acquainted with, and nodded. "Luffy, Ace and Sabo. And Nami, if I could convince her it'd be worth the trip. I met her at one of Luffy and Ace's parties."

Rocinante lost the edge in his expression. "They're so young. And Nami is Bellmere's daughter. She'd beat me senseless if she got wind that I let her daughter engage in something so dangerous. And illegal."

"If you think they haven't done anything illegal to help a friend you're a fool." Penguin waved his cell at Rocinante. "Luffy will insist on coming if Ace and Sabo are involved. Or if he gets wind that Law is involved. Luffy has basically adopted Law as a friend in his mind whether Law wants to be or not. Ace happens to work for someone I had intended to have Law speak to, but didn't get a chance. Sabo works in an agency that does cloak and dagger stuff under the government's nose. If you want someone to break into a place with underground connections, they're the ones to go to." Penguin held up a hand to forestall questions. "I looked into the company once it had gotten out what Law had done to protect us."

Rocinante's eyes were sad then, at the thought of what had led Law to follow the path he had, but finally gave a single nod. "Make the calls."

Penguin nodded as he went through his contacts.

All of them had been sitting back for too long waiting and hoping for some solution to bring Law home the whole past year. And now, with Law snatched away from them again, it seemed like Rocinante had no intention of being rational and waiting for the police to help Law. The blond haired officer clearly wanted to get to the dark haired surgeon before Law could be further injured physically or emotionally.

Penguin was glad that Shachi factored into the equation, because Penguin had assumed that Rocinante would be too focused on Law to remember the red head was essentially being held hostage to get Law to do as asked. But the more Rocinante outlined the idea he'd come up with, the more Penguin realized the success of it all would ride on Shachi and his particular set of skills.

It seemed like Shachi had made an impression on Rocinante with not only his lock picking skills but his hacking skills as well.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Woo, finally an update! I call this chapter the chapter in which everyone reveals they've done some illegal and questionable things in the past and are ready to go fuck shit up. Another few chapters of Law's side of things and then Penguin and Rocinante's before they end up in the same city. And that will be when shit goes down, once they're in the casino, and it's going to be wonderful and angst ridden and hopefully, action-oriented, and I really hope I can write what I have planned out well (and to the reviewer who mentioned Whitebeard, you were on the right track-I just haven't decided on how much of a role he'll play in the story yet).


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